Sophie Harmsen travelled extensively at an early age, her parents being German diplomats, and continues this in her professional career as an internationally successful and acclaimed mezzosoprano. Concerts and Opera productions have enabled her to experience some of the world’s most beautiful concert halls and opera houses as the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Teatro Real in Madrid, Palau de la Musica in Barcelona, Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Wien, Philharmonie de Paris, Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg.
Sophie is frequently and recurringly invited to perform with symphony orchestras such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Swedish Royal Symphony Orchestra (with Daniel Harding), Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, Orchestre National de Paris, musicAeterna (with Teodor Currentzis) and the Freiburger Barockorchester.
In the past years Sophie has continually extended her repertoire. After numerous concerts, solo recitals and CD recordings with some of the most celebrated baroque ensembles she is glad to now feel equally at home in more romantic repertoire. Concerts and CD recordings with Wagner’s »Wesendonck-Lieder« (Kent Nagano), Mahler’s »Das Lied von der Erde« (Markus Stenz), Dvorak’s Requiem (Philippe Herreweghe), Beethoven’s »Missa solemnis« (Frieder Bernius, René Jacobs) and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Teodor Currentzis, Pablo Heras-Casado) are now equally represented in her calendar. Many of her CD recordings have received awards, for example Bruckner’s »Missa solemnis« (Diapason d’Or) and the complete recording of J. S. Bach’s Luther-Kantaten with Christoph Spering (Echo 2017).
Sophie is a frequent performer at international festivals such as the Salzburger Festspiele, Mozartwoche Salzburg, Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Rheingau Musikfestival, International Händelfestspiele Göttingen and Halle and the Bachfest Leipzig, amongst many others.
Sophie Harmsen studied at the University of Cape Town and with Prof. Dr. Edith Wiens, has been mentored by Tobias Truniger for many years and now lives in Berlin with her family.