Sonya Headlam

Soprano Sonya Headlam performs music that spans centuries, from the Baroque era to the present. She has received acclaim as a soloist on prestigious stages across the United States. Notable recent highlights include her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah and a memorable performance at Severance Hall in Cleveland, Ohio, alongside conductor Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo’s Fire. Other esteemed ensembles with which Sonya has collaborated include the North Carolina Symphony, the New World Symphony, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, among others. This season, she eagerly anticipates making her solo debuts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, and making her Canadian debut with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.

Sonya’s repertoire encompasses ensemble, chamber, opera, concert works, and art songs. She has a passion for collaborating with living composers and bringing their new compositions to life, and she is equally passionate about championing the voices of those historically overlooked in classical music. This season, she will present several solo recitals, including a performance at the 2024 Music Teachers National Association Conference, in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 2023, Sonya was appointed as the Rohde Family Artist-in-Residence at the Chelsea Music Festival, where she engaged in meaningful collaborations and premiered new works. She has contributed to various innovative contemporary projects throughout her career, including Yaz Lancaster’s song cycle ouroboros, produced by Beth Morrison Projects, and several performances of Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, including at MASS MoCA and Carnegie Hall.

Sonya is featured on the Raritan Players’ latest recording, In the Salon of Madame Brillon: Music and Friendship in Benjamin Franklin’s Paris, and is presently collaborating with them on an album that will feature the music of Ignatius Sancho and premiere new compositions by Trevor Weston.