Anna-Sophie Neher (soprano) – Queen Elisabeth Competition Laureate

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“I love seeing my voice as an algebra problem I need to solve,” said soprano Anna-Sophie Neher, one of two Canadian laureates from the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Her unique approach to practising as an objective science clearly helps her put in the countless hours needed for success.

Neher has evidently managed the mental battle all musicians face; she has a methodical, yet human, approach to the ins-and-outs of her professional life. A self-proclaimed “overthinker,” Neher is determined to use the challenges associated with competition to improve her confidence and lessen her self-criticism. “I think that you can only feel truly successful in these competitions if you focus on yourself—on what you wanted to accomplish musically or technically, and on the music you were able to make,” she said.

In fact, goal-setting and finding the positives in all areas of her musical life has brought Neher success. After being a member of the Canadian Opera Company’s prestigious ensemble studio, she returned to play Pamina in The Magic Flute last year. She was proud of securing her first large role at a major opera company, and claimed singing Pamina “felt like massaging my vocal chords every night.” Mozart is a favourite of Neher’s, so it is no wonder she is partial to a role witten by the composer to whom she says “my heart will always belong.”

Mozart made an appearance in Neher’s competition program, alongside works by Handel, Bellini, Rossini, and Poulenc. With a particular emphasis on flow, and showcasing herself as an artist, Neher combatted the stressors of performance by channelling the adrenaline rush precipitated by walking onto the stage, and using the opportunity to let go and sink into each character she portrayed.

Neher will continue on what she calls her “never-ending conquest of understanding how my voice works,” when she returns to the COC in the 2023-24 season to sing in Beethoven’s Fidelio. In the meantime, she will gladly be spending time in the sandbox with her daughter, a simple pleasure that she says “gives a whole new meaning to life.”