ZITA SYME
SOPRANO

Anglo-Irish soprano, Zita Syme graduated from Royal Holloway University of London with BMus (First Class Hons). She is a Britten-Pears Young Artist and won first prize in the 2017 Emmy Destinn Young Singers Award. Zita has been supported by the Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust which has made residential masterclasses with Cheryl Studer and Bernarda Fink possible.

As a Young Artist for Longborough Festival Opera Zita has sung Giunone (Cavalli, La Calisto) and covered Fiordiligi (Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte). In 2022 she made her debut with Wexford Festival opera creating the role of Mrs Saker in the world première of Alberto Caruso's The Master and returned the following season to sing Suor Genovieffa (Puccini, Suor Angelica). Recent engagements include singing Mimi in the 2023 and 2024 Opera Brava UK and Corfu tour of La Bohème, Antonia (Offenbach, Les Contes D'Hoffmann) and Mademoiselle Silberklang (Mozart, Der Schauspieldirektor).

From 2020-2022 Zita was a resident ensemble artist with Opéra Grand Avignon and sang roles in Mireille (Gounod), Peter Grimes (Britten) and Idomeneo (Mozart). Recent tours include co-productions, of Bellini's La Sonnambula (Opéra de Vichy and Opéra de Clermont) and Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci (Opéra national de Montpellier and Opéra de Toulon).

Recent concert engagements include Haydn's Nelson Mass (Aberystwyth Arts Centre), Berlioz's Les nuits d'été (St Paul's Church, Covent Garden) and solo recitals at St James's Piccadilly, The National Portrait Gallery and in the Music Festival d'Orange (France).

Zita has worked with companies including Opéra Grand Avignon, Opéra national de Montpellier, Longborough Festival Opera, Opera Holland Park, The Buxton International Festival, Wexford Festival Opera, Opera Rara and Opera Up Close. She has sung with conductors including Richard Hickox CBE, Oleg Caetani, Carlo Rizzi, Marc Korovitch, Beatrice Venezi, Debora Waldman and Federico Santi.

For Naxos, she has recorded Herbert Howells's Hymnus Paradisi, Carl Rutti's Requiem (world première) and movie soundtracks for Walt Disney's Shrek the Third and Prince Caspian conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams.

Full CV available by email request to zita@zitasyme.com

(Photo by kind permission of Joth Shakerley)