Olivia Smith

Full Biography

Lauded for her “rich, humane soprano” (Opera Canada) and “convincing and poignant” portrayals (Boston Musical Intelligencer), in the 25-26 season Canadian soprano Olivia Smith joins the ensemble of Theater St. Gallen. Her engagements there include Mimì in La bohème, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and Helena in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. She returns to the San Francisco Opera for her final performances in the prestigious Adler Fellowship Program, where she will be featured in Wagner’s Parsifal and in their annual Gala Concert, performing operatic arias and ensembles. 

In the 2024–25 season, while in her second year as an Adler Fellow, Olivia Smith debuted as Micaëla in the company’s immersive Carmen Encounter and covered the role for mainstage performances. She also covered the role of Ilia in Idomeneo and appeared in numerous SFO concert programs. With the Philadelphia Opera, Smith made her company and role debut as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni under the baton of Corrado Rovaris, and was also heard in recital with pianist Grant Loenig. Additionally, she saw her first performances as Pamina in Opera Naples’ production of The Magic Flute. 

In prior seasons with San Francisco Opera Olivia Smith was heard as Erste Dame in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, and in the critically praised portrayal of Chrisann Brennan in Mason Bates and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. She made her mainstage debut in spring 2023 as the Voice of the Falcon in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten and sang Mimì in SFO’s Bohème Out of the Box. A participant in the 2022 Merola Opera Program, she appeared there as Margarita Xirgu in scenes from Golijov’s Ainadamar and as Leïla in excerpts from Bizet’s Les pêcheurs de perles. 

A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Smith performed the Governess in Britten’s The Turn of the Screw with Curtis Opera Theater and Marguerite in excerpts of Gounod’s Faust with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra. Additional roles include Cathleen in Vaughan Williams’ Riders to the Sea, the First Witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, and Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium. 

Olivia Smith has been recognized by Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition, receiving both the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award and the Online Viewers’ Choice Award. She won First Prize in Opera Grand Rapids’ VanderLaan Prize competition and received an encouragement grant from the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers.