BIOGRAPHY

Sarah Anne Champion is a British mezzo-soprano and an established soloist and consort singer. She began singing with the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain in 2003, as an undergraduate she read Music at Durham University before going on to the University of Cambridge to train as a Secondary School Music Teacher. After working in Oxford for five years she moved to begin her singing career in London where she then completed her Masters, with distinction, at the Royal Academy of Music and was awarded the Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize. 

Sarah now sings with critically acclaimed group The Marian Consort, championing works by lesser known composers such as Vicente Lusitano and Raffaella Aleotti alongside new commissions. Highlights include a recent tour to Japan and performances live on Radio 3’s In Tune, for the BBC proms and at The Wigmore Hall. Sarah also sings with the Fieri Consort who, in 2022, premiered the lost works of Maddalena Casulana, newly-discovered after 400 years, alongside those of Barbara Strozzi live on BBC Radio 3 – soon to be released on commercial disc.

Sarah has worked with Waterperry Opera Festival since their inaugural season in 2018, performing Julia Bertram in Mansfield Park. After sell out audiences and five star reviews the production has been continually revived for summer seasons and, in 2022, toured various stately homes and opera houses around England. Mansfield Park is touring again this year, residing back at Waterperry for their current season in August 2023. Other roles include Second Witch ~ Dido and Aeneas (The Vache Baroque Festival), Dorabella ~ Così fan tutte (London Young Sinfonia), Cherubino ~ The Marriage of Figaro (St Peter’s College Opera), Mercedes ~ Carmen (Durham Opera Ensemble) and The Sandman ~ Hansel and Gretel (Durham Opera Ensemble), the title role in Jonathan Dove’s Pinocchio and Le Prince in Massenet’s Cendrillon for the Royal Academy of Music’s VF Opera Scenes.

During her time at the Academy Sarah realised her love of Art Song and storytelling, and successfully competed in various competitions including the Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize, the Major Van Someren-Godfrey Vocal Prize for English Song, the Historic Women Composer Prize and the Flora Nielsen Prize for French Song. More recently, she took part in Oxford Lieder’s Spring Song as a finalist for the Young Artist Programme and is delighted to be giving a recital of French Song this August as part of a new festival at the National Musicians’ Church, Holy Sepulchre London. 

PRIZES

Herbert Howells Prize – North London Festival – Winner  
Flora Nielsen Prize for French Song Prize – Winner  
Marjorie Thomas Art of Song Prize  – Very Highly Commended       
Historic Women Composer Prize – Very Highly Commended
Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize – Prize Winner
Major Van Someren-Godfrey Vocal Prize – Highly Commended
Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize – Commended

Flora Nielsen Prize for French Song Prize
Winner  
Marjorie Thomas Art of Song Prize   
Very Highly Commended   
    
Historic Women Composer Prize 
Very Highly Commended
Nancy Nuttall Early Music Prize 
Prize Winner
Major Van Someren-Godfrey Vocal Prize Highly Commended
Elena Gerhardt Lieder Prize  
Commended

MASTERCLASSES

London Song Festival
Lieder Masterclass with Christoph Prégardien