Australian soprano Simone Easthope

has been recognised for the beauty of her voice, her broad-ranging repertoire and her communicative flair.  On completion of her undergraduate studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Maree Ryan, she won Opera Foundation Australia's prestigious  Lady Fairfax New York Award, enabling her to complete her studies at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Professor Edith Wiens. She enjoys an active and international concert and recital career, often in partnership with her husband, pianist Benjamin Moser.

Simone Easthope has a special affinity for the Lied and Art Song repertoire. In 2012 she was a prize-winner of the International Robert Schumann Competition. Many of her performances as a participant in the International Meistersinger Academy (IMA) were recorded and broadcast by the Bayrischer Rundfunk. During her time at Juilliard, she performed under the auspices of the New York Festival of Song with Steven Blier. She also gave several recital performances as part of Schubert & Co., a project in which all of Schubert’ssongs were performed within 12 months. She appeared in recital with pianist Severin von Eckardstein at the Ghent Festival, performing works by Schubert, Grieg, Medtner and Messiaen. Simone formed an Lied-Duo in 2016 with her husband, pianist Benjamin Moser, and together they have celebrated successes in recitals in Australia, Germany, and Italy.

Simone Easthope’s operatic roles include Despina in Mozart’sCosì fan Tutte, Miss Wordsworth in BenjaminBritten’s Albert Herring, Thérèse/Tirésias in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésiasand Angelique in Jacques Ibert’s Angelique.She is also active in oratorio: she was soprano soloist in Mendelssohn’s Eliasunder the baton of Helmut Rilling for laVerdi in Milan. Her concert repertoire includes Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, the Mozart Mass in C minor and Requiem, Stabat Materby Pergolesi and Messiah by Handel.

Simone’s fascination for vocal pedagogy began very soon after beginning her studies. After graduating from Juilliard, she undertook an intensive course of private study with world-renowned vocal pedagogue and researcher, Helen Tiller, in order to increase her understanding of the vocal physiology, enabled through Helen Tiller’s pioneering bio-feedback techniques. This gave her special insight into the workings of the voice as seen from both a scientific perspective and a practical, voice-user’s perspective. She has a special interest in the intersection of diverse singing styles and traditions, seeking always to find ways to optimise the healthy functioning of the voice within these frames.

Since moving to Berlin in 2014, she has built a private voice studio, working regularly with professional opera singers from the Deutsche Oper, the Komische Oper Berlin and the Dresdener Semperoper.  She also works with young singers with aspirations to professional careers, as well as singers from other musical traditions such as music theatre, jazz, pop and folk music.