The Robert Tear Scholarship for 2013-14 was awarded to the soprano Sónia Grané.

Portuguese soprano Sónia Grané has been a resident singer in Berlin Staatsoper Unter der Linden since 2015.

Recent engagements include her debut as Ännchen in Der Freischutz, a Thalheimer production, conducted by Alexander Soddy, Barbarina in the new production of Le Nozze di Figaro by Jürgen Flimm, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, Echo in Ariadne, Flora in Claus Guth’s production of Britten’s Turn of the Screw and Blumenmädchen in Parsifal, conducted by Daniel Barenboim in a Dimitri Tcherniakov production.  

Sónia was member of the Berliner Staatsoper Opera studio between 2013 and 2015 where she made her role debut as Blonde in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, conducted by Christopher Moulds. She also performed the roles of Papagena in the historic Everding production of Die Zauberflöte, Tebaldo inDon Carlo and Hirt in Tannhäuser, also conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

In the summer of 2015 Sónia performed the role of Despina in Mozart’s Così fan Tutte for the Bregenzer Festspiele.

The young soprano sings frequently in the Werkstatt of the Staatsoper. There she has sung modern operas by Lucia Ronchetti, Salvatore Sciarrino, Ernst Krenek, where she sang the title role of Corinna, David Coleman children’s opera Hans im Glück and most recently Hector Parra’s Zangesi.

Sónia was born in Lisbon and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a Master of Music Performance (2011) and Advanced Diploma in Opera (2013). She studied with Lillian Watson. While in the UK, she has performed in halls such as the Wigmore Hall, King’s Place, St. John’s Smith Square, Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields, the Purcell Room and the Holywell Music Room for the Oxford Festival, where she won the 1st Prize in the 2011 Oxford Lieder competition. Sónia has had the privilege to work with renowned conductors such as Laurence Cummings, Julia Jones, Jane Glover, Trevor Pinnock, Sir Colin Davies and Michel Corboz.

Other roles performed include Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Belinda in Dido and Aeneas, Princesse in L’Enfant et les Sortiléges, Lisetta in La Vera Costanza (Royal Academy Opera), Ninetta in La Perichole (Garsington Opera) and Lucia The Rape of Lucretia (British Youth Opera).

Sónia appears on the recording of the chamber version of Mahler’s 4th Symphony conducted by Trevor Pinnock, under the label Linn