Lauded for her “rich, humane soprano” (Opera Canada) and “convincing and poignant” portrayals (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Canadian soprano Olivia Smith is quickly establishing herself as one of the most exciting young lyric sopranos of her generation.
In the 2026/27 season, Olivia Smith returns to San Francisco Opera in her role debut as Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Sebastian Weigle. At Theater St. Gallen, she celebrates another important role debut as the titular Alcina in Handel’s masterpiece and appears as Antonia in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann. She also joins the company’s production of Floyd’s Susannah, appearing as Mrs. Hayes. Further engagements include performances in the traditional New Year’s Concerts with the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen under Pietro Rizzo in St. Gallen and Mels.
Lauded for her “rich, humane soprano” (Opera Canada) and “convincing and poignant” portrayals (Boston Musical Intelligencer), Canadian soprano Olivia Smith is quickly establishing herself as one of the most exciting young lyric sopranos of her generation.
In the 2026/27 season, Olivia Smith returns to San Francisco Opera in her role debut as Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro under the baton of Sebastian Weigle. At Theater St. Gallen, she celebrates another important role debut as the titular Alcina in Handel’s masterpiece and appears as Antonia in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann. She also joins the company’s production of Floyd’s Susannah, appearing as Mrs. Hayes. Further engagements include performances in the traditional New Year’s Concerts with the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen under Pietro Rizzo in St. Gallen and Mels.
During the 2025/26 season, Smith joined the ensemble of Theater St. Gallen, where she appeared as Mimì in La bohème, Fiordiligi in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and Helena in Purcell’s The Fairy Queen. In the same season, as a second-year member of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship Program, Olivia Smith debuted as Micaëla in the company’s immersive “Carmen Encounter” while covering the role for the mainstage performances. She also covered Ilia in Mozart’s Idomeneo and appeared in numerous San Francisco Opera concert programmes. In 2024/25, Smith made both her company and role debut with the Philadelphia Opera as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni led by Corrado Rovaris, and was also heard in recital with pianist Grant Loehnig. In addition, she gave her first performances as Pamina in The Magic Flute with Opera Naples.
In previous seasons with San Francisco Opera, Olivia Smith appeared as the First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Chrisann Brennan in Mason Bates and Mark Campbell’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. She made her mainstage debut in 2023 as the Voice of the Falcon in Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten and performed Mimì in Bohème Out of the Box. As a participant in the 2022 Merola Opera Program, she appeared 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 Theatre and Marguerite in excerpts from 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 received numerous awards, including the Ana María Martínez Encouragement Award and the Online Viewers’ Choice Award in Houston Grand Opera’s Eleanor McCollum Competition, First Prize in Opera Grand Rapids’ VanderLaan Prize Competition, and an Encouragement Grant from the George and Nora London Foundation for Singers.
