About
Sophia Maekawa
Praised by her "supple and buttery voice" (The New Criterion), hailing from Kyoto Japan, Japanese-American mezzo soprano, Sophia Maekawa is finishing her tenure as a Ryan Opera Center ensemble member at Lyric Opera of Chicago. This summer Ms. Maekawa sings her first Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Williamsburg Opera, as well as reprising the role of Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro with Wolf Trap Opera. In the 2024-25 season, as a Ryan Opera ensemble member she appeared as Lee Ann/ The Listeners, Tisbe/La Cenerentola and Pastuchyna/Jenufa as well as covering Cherubino at Lyric and Li song in Émigré (US Premier) with the New York Philharmonic.
As an Apprentice Artist in Santa Fe Opera in 2022, she covered Rosina in il barbiere di Siviglia and Comrade Chin/ Shu Fang in M.Butterfly. That year, she was also a semi-finalist in the Houston Grand Opera "Concert of Arias" Elenor McCollun Competition.
In summer of 2021 she was a Gerdine Young Artist at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Ms. Maekawa was awarded first place in Tokyo International Vocal Music Competition 2020 and was a finalist in the 2020 Music Competition of Japan, received the Tokyo Newspaper (Tokyo Shinbun) award.
Previous credits include: Ariodante (Ariodante), Hermia (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Annio (La clemenza di Tito), Mercedes (Carmen), Nancy (Albert Herring), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Second Woman (Dido and Aeneas) with companies such as Curtis Opera Theatre and Chautauqua Institution.
