“MacPhie sings with haunting sensitivity and emotional engagement… She is a singer of whom we should hear more” – The Daily Telegraph
Training and operatic experience
Caroline MacPhie studied French and German at Bristol University before undertaking postgraduate studies in vocal performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. She was then awarded a full scholarship to complete her studies on the Opera Course at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Upon graduation with distinction from RAM she won First Prize in the Emmy Destinn Awards in Prague before winning representation with the prestigious Young Classical Artists Trust, an organisation that works with exceptional musicians at the start of their performance career.
Caroline’s stage experience involves a diverse range of roles. She is particularly drawn to repertoire from the late 19th century to the present day. Past highlights include the world premiere of Max Richter’s SUM with Royal Opera House, London, First Niece Peter Grimes, Ein Mädchen Die Gezeichneten and more recently Anitra Peer Gynt, all with Opéra de Lyon and the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen with The Banff Centre, Canada. She has also performed Judith Weir’s mini opera for unaccompanied soprano, King Harald’s Saga at the Festival Présences Féminines at Opéra de Toulon and at the New Paths Festival in Yorkshire. Further roles include Ninfa/ Euridice Orfeo (Monteverdi) with Silent Opera, Cleopatra (cover) Giulio Cesare with Opera North, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Norina Don Pasquale, all with Opera Project, Frasquita Carmen with Scottish Opera, Papagena/ Erste Dame Die Zauberflöte and Barbara Eine Nacht in Venedig (a role she also performed at Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman).
On the concert and oratorio platform highlights include Bach St. John Passion with Hanover Band, Mozart Requiem with Philharmonia and King’s College Cambridge, Fauré Requiem with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vaughan Williams Sinfonia Antartica with the Hallé Orchestra.
Recital work
With her background in languages and her avid interest in European literature, Caroline has always been fascinated by the richness and diversity of the recital repertoire. Often perceived as an elitist art form, Caroline aims to make this repertoire – the perfect union between music and poetry – more accessible to a wider audience. She combines storytelling with imaginative staging as well as incorporating other art forms in order to more directly communicate with her audiences.
Her flair for innovative programming has led Caroline to seek out lesser-known repertoire – and in particular works by female composers. Her latest album, Love said to me…. with pianist Joseph Middleton is a collection of songs inspired or written by women with music by Strauss, Wolf and Poulenc as well as Muriel Herbert, Elizabeth Maconchy and two new commissions by Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Rhian Samuel. Described as marking “the arrival of a fine young recitalist” the album was released to critical acclaim throughout Europe.
Since her permanent move to France five years ago, Caroline has undertaken several ambitious projects. In 2017 she performed in and was Artistic Director of Hommage aux femmes – a multi disciplinary project portraying the different stages in a woman’s life through song, story telling, video mapping and dance – at Lyon’s Salle Molière. In 2019 she opened the festival Présences Féminines at Opéra de Toulon with an all female composer programme, receiving special coverage on France 24. For her latest project for International Women’s Day 2020, Sur un air de femmes, she collaborated with leading sopranos Amel Brahim-Djelloul and Heather Newhouse in a unique recital of repertoire in celebration of women. During the Covid Pandemic, her latest recital with works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Irène Poldowski, Clara Schumann and Pauline Viardot was filmed and broadcast by the channel “Connaissances du monde”.
Further highlights of Caroline’s recital experience includes concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Amphithéâtre de l’Opéra de Lyon, Musée des Tissus de Lyon, Cité de la Culture in Tunis and at the Cheltenham, Chichester, New Paths, Oxford Lieder and Ryedale Festivals. Over the course of her training she has been mentored by world-renowned artists such as Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber, Graham Johnson, Felicity Lott and Malcolm Martineau in the context of a number of Young Artists Programs (including Aldeburgh Britten-Pears and Steans Institute, Ravinia Festival Chicago).
Workshop leader and lecturer
Caroline regularly works in a corporate setting, using the skills she has learnt over the course of her performance career to inspire and motivate others. By using opera as a learning vehicle, she addresses topics such as teamwork, discipline, high performance, leadership, creativity and stress management. She works with teams of all sizes from executive committees to large groups at events such as annual conventions. For more information and videos relating to Caroline’s business activities, including her unique workshops with keynote speaker, author, researcher and management consultant Stéphane Moriou, please visit the Beyond the Music page.
Outreach projects
Caroline is passionate about making the operatic repertoire more accessible to the greater public as well as promoting the benefits the singing. For the past three years, Caroline has been Artistic Director of “Mission Opéra”, a month long outreach project in Valence working with teenagers who have had very little exposure to classical music and the world of opera. The 2021 project involved 100 young people from five different high schools who rehearsed and performed a programme of operatic repertoire together with the Orchestre Musaval at the Conservatoire de Valence.
Singing teacher and vocal coach
Caroline has over 15 years teaching experience, providing made to measure high quality tuition to pupils of all levels and ages. She is also a voice teacher for the Children’s Chorus at Opéra de Lyon and has given masterclasses to aspiring young singers as part of the prestigious Samling Foundation in Newcastle.
Caroline is an active vocal coach for professionals who wish to improve their spoken voice in the workplace. Her international client base includes journalists, CEOs, keynote speakers, actors and voice over artists.
Current and future projects
Caroline’s projects for the 2022/23 season and beyond include Mozart Requiem with the Jardin Musical and the Cantabile Choir at Abbaye d’Ainay in Lyon, a recital for the Festival Volcadiva in the Auvergne and the première of “Strange on a train”, a new work for soprano, baritone and orchestra with music by the British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad and text by Ian MacMillan. She will also be artistic director and conductor of three “Mission Opéra”projects, working with a total of 200 young people attending vocational high schools in Valence and Lyon.
Training and operatic experience
Caroline MacPhie studied French and German at Bristol University before undertaking postgraduate studies in vocal performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. She was then awarded a full scholarship to complete her studies on the Opera Course at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Upon graduation with distinction from RAM she won First Prize in the Emmy Destinn Awards in Prague before winning representation with the prestigious Young Classical Artists Trust, an organisation that works with exceptional musicians at the start of their performance career.
Caroline’s stage experience involves a diverse range of roles. She is particularly drawn to repertoire from the late 19th century to the present day. Past highlights include the world premiere of Max Richter’s SUM with Royal Opera House, London, First Niece Peter Grimes, Ein Mädchen Die Gezeichneten and more recently Anitra Peer Gynt, all with Opéra de Lyon and the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen with The Banff Centre, Canada. She has also performed Judith Weir’s mini opera for unaccompanied soprano, King Harald’s Saga at the Festival Présences Féminines at Opéra de Toulon and at the New Paths Festival in Yorkshire. Further roles include Ninfa/ Euridice Orfeo (Monteverdi) with Silent Opera, Cleopatra (cover) Giulio Cesare with Opera North, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Norina Don Pasquale, all with Opera Project, Frasquita Carmen with Scottish Opera, Papagena/ Erste Dame Die Zauberflöte and Barbara Eine Nacht in Venedig (a role she also performed at Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman).
On the concert and oratorio platform highlights include Bach St. John Passion with Hanover Band, Mozart Requiem with Philharmonia and King’s College Cambridge, Fauré Requiem with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vaughan Williams Sinfonia Antartica with the Hallé Orchestra.
Recital work
With her background in languages and her avid interest in European literature, Caroline has always been fascinated by the richness and diversity of the recital repertoire. Often perceived as an elitist art form, Caroline aims to make this repertoire – the perfect union between music and poetry – more accessible to a wider audience. She combines storytelling with imaginative staging as well as incorporating other art forms in order to more directly communicate with her audiences.
Her flair for innovative programming has led Caroline to seek out lesser-known repertoire – and in particular works by female composers. Her latest album, Love said to me…. with pianist Joseph Middleton is a collection of songs inspired or written by women with music by Strauss, Wolf and Poulenc as well as Muriel Herbert, Elizabeth Maconchy and two new commissions by Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Rhian Samuel. Described as marking “the arrival of a fine young recitalist” the album was released to critical acclaim throughout Europe.
Since her permanent move to France five years ago, Caroline has undertaken several ambitious projects. In 2017 she performed in and was Artistic Director of Hommage aux femmes – a multi disciplinary project portraying the different stages in a woman’s life through song, story telling, video mapping and dance – at Lyon’s Salle Molière. In 2019 she opened the festival Présences Féminines at Opéra de Toulon with an all female composer programme, receiving special coverage on France 24. For her latest project for International Women’s Day 2020, Sur un air de femmes, she collaborated with leading sopranos Amel Brahim-Djelloul and Heather Newhouse in a unique recital of repertoire in celebration of women. During the Covid Pandemic, her latest recital with works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Irène Poldowski, Clara Schumann and Pauline Viardot was filmed and broadcast by the channel “Connaissances du monde”.
Past highlights of Caroline’s recital experience includes concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Amphithéâtre de l’Opéra de Lyon, Musée des Tissus de Lyon, Cité de la Culture in Tunis and at the Cheltenham, Chichester, New Paths, Oxford Lieder and Ryedale Festivals. Over the course of her training she has been mentored by world-renowned artists such as Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber, Graham Johnson, Felicity Lott and Malcolm Martineau in the context of a number of Young Artists Programs (including Aldeburgh Britten-Pears and Steans Institute, Ravinia Festival Chicago).
Keynote speaker and workshop leader
Caroline regularly works in a corporate setting, using the skills she has learnt over the course of her performance career to inspire and motivate others. By using opera as a learning vehicle, she addresses topics such as teamwork, discipline, high performance, leadership, creativity and stress management.
In her latest lecture – “It’s not over until the diligent lady sings” – she explains how to inspire and maintain a strong collective and individual work ethic in order to reach higher levels of performance.
Caroline works with teams of all sizes from executive committees to large groups at events such as annual conventions. With keynote speaker, author and entrepreneur Stéphane Moriou, she has developed a number of innovative workshops that cross the boundaries between opera and management. “The Carmen workshop”, “Opera and leadership” and “Baroque and emotions” provide unique learning experiences to enable teams to work together more efficiently and more harmoniously. For more information and videos relating to Caroline’s business activities, Beyond the Music page.
Caroline also has over 20 years’ experience as a vocal coach working with a wide range of clients including journalists, politicians, company executives, keynote speakers and actors. She uses her extensive knowledge of the voice coupled with her experience as a soloist on Europe’s most prominent operatic stages to liberate her clients’ vocal potential and allow them to speak with greater confidence, clarity, sincerity and impact.
Mission Opéra
Mission Opéra is a unique pedagogical and musical outreach project that was created in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in 2019. Its aim is to develop key life skills such as discipline, commitment and teamwork whilst undertaking an ambitious musical challenge. Secondly, the project seeks to promote opera in those parts of society that are estranged from the art form.
Mission Opéra works closely with National Education. Caroline has worked with over 350 young people from Vocational High Schools since 2019. In 2023 she founded the charity Mission Opéra France so that the initiative can develop on a national level.
Current and future projects
Caroline’s projects for the 2023/24 season include an opera gala with the Italian baritone Riccardo Novaro at the Goethe Institut, Lyon as well as a new work for soprano, baritone and orchestra with music by the British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad and text by Ian MacMillan. In addition to her business activities, she will be presenting her latest keynote lecture “It’s not over until the diligent lady sings” at Évenement Maverick, a unique weekend of inspiring lectures in Paris in November 2023. She will also be artistic director and conductor of three “Mission Opéra” projects, working with a total of 150 young people from vocational high schools in Valence and Lyon.
Overview
Lyon based British soprano Caroline MacPhie is a dynamic and versatile performer, artistic director, pedagogue, workshop leader and lecturer. Over the past ten years she has worked with leading international opera companies such as Royal Opera House London, Opéra National de Lyon, Opéra National de Lorraine, Opera North and Scottish Opera in a diverse range of repertoire from Monteverdi to Max Richter. She has performed as a soloist on stages including Royal Festival Hall and Barbican, London, Stockholm Concert Hall and Luzern Kultur- und Kongresszentrum and is also an established recitalist with her latest album ‘Love said to me….’ receiving critical acclaim throughout Europe. Her recital work has led her to undertake the role of Artistic Director for a number of projects through which she aims to make the song repertoire – and more specifically music by female composers – more accessible to a wider public.
Alongside her performance activity, Caroline is a keynote speaker and workshop leader, using her 15 years’ experience in a high performance profession to deliver motivational insights to help business leaders and teams alike. Her passion for opera as a transformational tool is evident in her role as Artistic Director of Mission Opéra, a unique outreach project with young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Training and operatic experience
Caroline MacPhie studied French and German at Bristol University before undertaking postgraduate studies in vocal performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester. She was then awarded a full scholarship to complete her studies on the Opera Course at the Royal Academy of Music, London. Upon graduation with distinction from RAM she won First Prize in the Emmy Destinn Awards in Prague before winning representation with the prestigious Young Classical Artists Trust, an organisation that works with exceptional musicians at the start of their performance career.
Caroline’s stage experience involves a diverse range of roles. She is particularly drawn to repertoire from the late 19th century to the present day. Past highlights include the world premiere of Max Richter’s SUM with Royal Opera House, London, First Niece Peter Grimes, Ein Mädchen Die Gezeichneten and more recently Anitra Peer Gynt, all with Opéra de Lyon and the title role in The Cunning Little Vixen with The Banff Centre, Canada. She has also performed Judith Weir’s mini opera for unaccompanied soprano, King Harald’s Saga at the Festival Présences Féminines at Opéra de Toulon and at the New Paths Festival in Yorkshire. Further roles include Ninfa/ Euridice Orfeo (Monteverdi) with Silent Opera, Cleopatra (cover) Giulio Cesare with Opera North, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, Pamina Die Zauberflöte and Norina Don Pasquale, all with Opera Project, Frasquita Carmen with Scottish Opera, Papagena/ Erste Dame Die Zauberflöte and Barbara Eine Nacht in Venedig (a role she also performed at Royal Opera House Muscat, Oman).
On the concert and oratorio platform highlights include Bach St. John Passion with Hanover Band, Mozart Requiem with Philharmonia and King’s College Cambridge, Fauré Requiem with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Vaughan Williams Sinfonia Antartica with the Hallé Orchestra.
Recital work
With her background in languages and her avid interest in European literature, Caroline has always been fascinated by the richness and diversity of the recital repertoire. Often perceived as an elitist art form, Caroline aims to make this repertoire – the perfect union between music and poetry – more accessible to a wider audience. She combines storytelling with imaginative staging as well as incorporating other art forms in order to more directly communicate with her audiences.
Her flair for innovative programming has led Caroline to seek out lesser-known repertoire – and in particular works by female composers. Her latest album, Love said to me…. with pianist Joseph Middleton is a collection of songs inspired or written by women with music by Strauss, Wolf and Poulenc as well as Muriel Herbert, Elizabeth Maconchy and two new commissions by Cheryl Frances-Hoad and Rhian Samuel. Described as marking “the arrival of a fine young recitalist” the album was released to critical acclaim throughout Europe.
Since her permanent move to France five years ago, Caroline has undertaken several ambitious projects. In 2017 she performed in and was Artistic Director of Hommage aux femmes – a multi disciplinary project portraying the different stages in a woman’s life through song, story telling, video mapping and dance – at Lyon’s Salle Molière. In 2019 she opened the festival Présences Féminines at Opéra de Toulon with an all female composer programme, receiving special coverage on France 24. For her latest project for International Women’s Day 2020, Sur un air de femmes, she collaborated with leading sopranos Amel Brahim-Djelloul and Heather Newhouse in a unique recital of repertoire in celebration of women. During the Covid Pandemic, her latest recital with works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Irène Poldowski, Clara Schumann and Pauline Viardot was filmed and broadcast by the channel “Connaissances du monde”.
Past highlights of Caroline’s recital experience includes concerts at London’s Wigmore Hall and Purcell Room, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Amphithéâtre de l’Opéra de Lyon, Musée des Tissus de Lyon, Cité de la Culture in Tunis and at the Cheltenham, Chichester, New Paths, Oxford Lieder and Ryedale Festivals. Over the course of her training she has been mentored by world-renowned artists such as Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber, Graham Johnson, Felicity Lott and Malcolm Martineau in the context of a number of Young Artists Programs (including Aldeburgh Britten-Pears and Steans Institute, Ravinia Festival Chicago).
Keynote speaker and workshop leader
Caroline regularly works in a corporate setting, using the skills she has learnt over the course of her performance career to inspire and motivate others. By using opera as a learning vehicle, she addresses topics such as teamwork, discipline, high performance, leadership, creativity and stress management.
In her latest lecture – “It’s not over until the diligent lady sings” – she explains how to inspire and maintain a strong collective and individual work ethic in order to reach higher levels of performance.
Caroline works with teams of all sizes from executive committees to large groups at events such as annual conventions. With keynote speaker, author and entrepreneur Stéphane Moriou, she has developed a number of innovative workshops that cross the boundaries between opera and management. “The Carmen workshop”, “Opera and leadership” and “Baroque and emotions” provide unique learning experiences to enable teams to work together more efficiently and more harmoniously. For more information and videos relating to Caroline’s business activities, Beyond the Music page.
Caroline also has over 20 years’ experience as a vocal coach working with a wide range of clients including journalists, politicians, company executives, keynote speakers and actors. She uses her extensive knowledge of the voice coupled with her experience as a soloist on Europe’s most prominent operatic stages to liberate her clients’ vocal potential and allow them to speak with greater confidence, clarity, sincerity and impact.
Mission Opéra
Mission Opéra is a unique pedagogical and musical outreach project that was created in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in 2019. Its aim is to develop key life skills such as discipline, commitment and teamwork whilst undertaking an ambitious musical challenge. Secondly, the project seeks to promote opera in those parts of society that are estranged from the art form.
Mission Opéra works closely with National Education. Caroline has worked with over 350 young people from Vocational High Schools since 2019. In 2023 she founded the charity Mission Opéra France so that the initiative can develop on a national level.
Current and future projects
Caroline’s projects for the 2023/24 season include an opera gala with the Italian baritone Riccardo Novaro at the Goethe Institut, Lyon as well as a new work for soprano, baritone and orchestra with music by the British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad and text by Ian MacMillan. In addition to her business activities, she will be presenting her latest keynote lecture “It’s not over until the diligent lady sings” at Évenement Maverick, a unique weekend of inspiring lectures in Paris in November 2023. She will also be artistic director and conductor of three “Mission Opéra” projects, working with a total of 150 young people from vocational high schools in Valence and Lyon.
