Clarissa Spata

Clarissa Spata is an Australian-Italian soprano who has established herself as a versatile performer across various musical genres including opera, music theatre, and classical crossover. Her career has seen her take on principal roles with Opera Australia, showcasing her vocal range and stage presence. These roles have included Maria (cover) in *West Side Story* on Sydney Harbour (2024), Frasquita in the National Tour of *Carmen* (2021), Papagena in *The Magic Flute* National Tour (2015), and Rosina in *The Barber of Seville* (2014) for NSW School’s tours. She also performed as Gretel in *Hansel & Gretel* (2012) and Cinderella in two productions of *Cinderella* (2009) for Opera Australia’s school tours. Internationally, she performed as the High Priestess in *Aïda* and First Lady in *Die Zauberflöte* with Australian International Productions in China. Her work with Opera New England included the role of Micäela in *Carmen*.

Spata’s achievements include several significant awards and recognitions early in her career, such as the Opera Foundation Australia’s Lady Fairfax New York Award, which enabled her to study with professionals from The Metropolitan Opera and The Juilliard. She also received The Australian Singing Competition’s Royal Overseas League Bursary Award, facilitating study in London and attendance at rehearsals at The Royal Opera House. Spata twice won the Dame Joan Sutherland Encouragement Award and was recognized as an Outstanding Artist in the McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge. She received the Pollard People’s Choice Award for Performance Excellence. Beyond opera, Clarissa Spata has performed extensively in concert settings, touring as the lead soprano for “An Afternoon at The Proms Spectacular” and with “The Australian Tenors.” She has also been a guest soprano in several of Mark Vincent’s regional tours and headlined alongside The Italian Tenors on their national Australian tour, “The Italian Tenors & a Soprano.” She completed two tours for the “Ricordi di Sanremo” concerts at various Australian theatres. Her diverse performance experience also includes touring the world as a special guest soprano for Princess Cruises’ mainstage classical crossover production *BRAVO!*, launching ten casts across Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.

In 2020, Clarissa Spata gained wider recognition as a Quarter Finalist on The Voice Australia, Season 9, where she performed a variety of arias, opera-rock pieces, and choral works. She was mentored by Delta Goodrem and Boy George, reaching the final 5 artists on Delta’s team. Prior to this, she was invited as a judge to represent opera singers on Channel 7’s TV show “All Together Now.” Spata has also co-formed operatic groups FUSION and Le Stelle, which have performed on cruise circuits. She has produced a tribute show, “Bocelli & Brightman – The Tribute,” with Tenor Gaetano Bonfante, which is scheduled for a 2024 tour. Her discography includes her album *Over the rainbow*, *Bocelli & Brightman – The Tribute Album*, and *Le Stelle* with Baritone Javier Vilarino. She also featured on The 7 Sopranos albums *Popcorn – Songs of Stage and Screen* and their self-titled debut, both released by ABC, as well as ENCORE’S *Il Destino*.