Biography
Olivia Brett became a full-time 1st soprano in the Deutsche Oper Berlin chorus in February 2023 and has performed in 32 operas with them in the past year alone.
She coaches with Philip Mayers, Thomas Victor Johnson and Paull-Anthony Keightley and studies with Simone Easthope. She moved to Berlin from Parma, Italy, where she worked on her Italian language skills and the bel canto technique. She has notably had masterclasses and coachings with Dame Ann Murray, Lisette Oropesa and Caroline Dowdle.
She graduated from her Vocal Studies Masters with Distinction from the Royal College of Music, London, in August 2020 where she was a Bruce-Payne Vaseppi and Opperby Stokowski Scholar. At the RCM, she studied closely with her vocal professor Tim Evans-Jones and repertoire coaches Andrew Robinson and Gary Matthewman.
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Whilst at the RCM, she participated in masterclasses with Michael Chance (November 2019) and Susan McCulloch (February 2019), presented four operatic roles in the RCM Opera Scenes (Rosario, Goyescas; Mab, The Enchanted Pig; Venere, L'Egisto; and Zaide, Zaide) and received Highly Commended in the 2019 RCM Lieder Competition, adjudicated by Stephan Loges.
Prior to studying in London, she read Theology and Religious Studies at Clare College, Cambridge graduating in 2018. In Cambridge, as a well-established soprano, she performed four major roles with Cambridge University Opera Society (Anne Truelove, The Rake’s Progress; Lauretta, Gianni Schicchi; Helena, A Midsummer Night’s Dream; and Giannetta, L’elisir d’amore) and won first prize in the Clare College Song Competition as well as the Clare College John Northam Prize. She was also an award holder on the University's Lieder Scheme in 2017/18, which included regular tuition with the critically-acclaimed accompanist Joseph Middleton and masterclasses with John Mark Ainsley and Amanda Roocroft.
Other opera roles have included Nannetta (Falstaff) with the Black Cat Opera Company, and Hansel (Hansel and Gretel) and Second Witch (Dido and Aeneas) whilst at school at Bedales, Hampshire.
Olivia has performed in numerous oratorios from those by Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn, to Ešenvalds and his contemporary Passion and Resurrection Oratorio. In addition to frequent recitals, Olivia performed two world-premiers of song cycles by contemporary English composers at St Martin-in-the-Fields (October 2018) with the composer, conductor and pianist, Toby Hession.
Other musical highlights include singing for Pope Benedict XVI in Rome, performances at the Royal Festival Hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, services at Westminster Abbey, a BBC broadcast on Holocaust Memorial Day, a Radio 3 broadcast, Handel’s Messiah at the Union Chapel, as well as concerts at St John’s, Smith Square; the Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris; the Petronas Philharmonic Hall, Malaysia; and Hong Kong City Hall. Olivia has recorded numerous disks and toured America, Italy, France, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia with the Clare College Chapel Choir, Cambridge and Bedales School. She has also participated in masterclasses led by Lisette Oropesa, Russell Symthe, Lawrence Zazzo and Sophie Daneman.
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Olivia is very grateful to have been supported by Adrian Frost and the Josephine Baker Trust.
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