PRESS
Melba opera trust
The Amelia joscelyne memorial scholarship
British-Australian soprano Sophie Hamer is a returning Melba Artist in 2026. She grew up in Perth and is now based in Sydney, where she is studying with Australian tenor Glenn Winslade. In 2024 she sang Ino in the Australian premiere of John Eccles’s Semele (HIP Company). Her concert credits include Angelina (the Plaintiff) in Trial by Jury, and soprano soloist in Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah and the Australian premiere of Goodall’s Invictus: A Passion (all for Perth Symphony Chorus), as well as Enchanted Encounters: Songs of the Supernatural (West Australian Opera Education)
Sophie holds a Bachelor of Music (Classical Vocal Performance) degree from the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Her WAAPA performance credits include Mabel (The Pirates of Penzance), the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), and soloist in Bach’s cantata for soprano and trumpet, Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, and Mozart’s Coronation Mass.
Sophie Hamer was a Young Artist with the Perth Symphonic Chorus (2023–25) and a finalist in competitions hosted by the Royal Overseas League, Royal Schools Music Club, WAAPA and Opera Lovers WA. She is a founding member of Perth Opera Voices, an ensemble of young opera singers with a mission to make opera more accessible for those living in the regions of Western Australia.
Perth Symphonic Chorus
Young Artist, Margaret Pride Scholarship
This scholarship is named after the founder of the Perth Symphonic Chorus, Dr Margaret Pride OAM.
Perth Symphonic Chorus has always supported and benefited from emerging artists. We are proud to have been a part of the development of many shining stars of the Australian and international opera stages, including Taryn Fiebig, Sara Macliver, and Lisa Harper-Brown. We hope to continue to honour this ethos, instilled by the Choir’s founder, Dr Margaret Pride, by formally supporting and providing mentorship and performance opportunities for singers on their pathway to professional work.
The West Australian, 2024
Opera Gala, Opus WA
To close out the half, Sophie Hamer channelled Donizetti’s Daughter of the Regiment in Chacun le sait; melodrama in orchestra contrasting with playful soprano and ribald male chorus up in the gallery. Power and poise in the coquettish tease exploited the interaction with the lads and rose to the challenge of an athletic workout in register and technique.
Stage Whispers, 2021
The Pirates of Penzance (W.S. Gilbert + A. Sullivan), WAAPA
Leading lady, Mabel, a vibrant Sophie Hamer, was gorgeous - with expert vocals and beautiful presence.