Known for her sparkly high register and warm tone, Lyric Soprano Sophia Grace Donelan was recently named an Encouragement Award winner in the Houston District of The Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition. Her versatile repertoire ranges from Mozart heroines to Romantic French operas to contemporary operas by Previn and Corigliano. She has performed a wide variety of opera, operetta and musical theatre. 

Ms. Donelan participated in the prestigious Young Artists’ Vocal Academy at Houston Grand Opera in the spring of 2024, and the distinguished Music Academy of the West, as a Studio Artist under the direction of Sasha Cooke and John Churchwell, during the summer of 2024. This summer she performed the role of Micaëla in Carmen with Opera in the Ozarks. 

Internationally, Ms. Donelan has performed the roles of Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus with the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar in Weimar, Germany. She was also featured as Violetta in La Traviata and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor in their Opera Gala. 

Ms. Donelan is currently pursuing her Master of Music degree at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University under the tutelage of Professor Nova Thomas. She coaches with Tom Jaber, as well as Nino Sanikidze, Bethany Self, Lyndsi Maus and Alex Munger. Sophia Grace performed with Ryan McKinny in opera scenes as the title role in Arabella and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni in the Ryan McKinny and Friends Recital in the Morrison Theatre at the Brockman Hall for Opera. This spring, she sang the role of Rosina in Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano directed by Patricia Racette and conducted by Benjamin Manis. 

Ms. Donelan received her Bachelor of Music degree from The New England Conservatory of Music in 2023 where she studied with Carole Haber and coached with JJ Penna. While at New England Conservatory, she sang the roles of Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte and Rosalinde in Die Fledermaus and performed in scenes as Violetta in La Traviata.