Voice: | Soprano |
Nationality: | English |
Year of Birth: | |
Year of Death: |
Soraya Mafi is an operatic soprano and recording artist who has sung leading roles in the opera houses and concert halls of Europe and North America. Mafi's performances have been broadcast live on radio, television, and in cinema. She has performed at international festivals and sports events and was nominated for Young Singer of the Year at the International Opera Awards in 2019. She is an inaugural Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Northern College of Music.
Mafi was born in Bury, a town in Greater Manchester, and was educated at Bury Grammar School for Girls and Holy Cross College. She attended the Royal Northern College of Music where she studied singing under Sandra Dugdale, then the Royal College of Music under the tutelage of Janis Kelly. Upon choosing Mafi for their ‘Rising Star – Great Artists of Tomorrow’ series, BBC Music Magazine published a feature interview that explored the challenges she faced as an undergraduate, undergoing surgery on her vocal cords, and her subsequent recovery with a vocal trauma specialist.
During her time as a student, Mafi received multiple awards, including The RCM Lieder Prize and The Elsie Thurston Prize. Notable performances include singing in England's two largest football stadiums, Old Trafford Stadium and Wembley Stadium. She sang the Brazilian and English national anthems at Wembley Stadium’s inaugural match, England vs. Brazil, becoming the first woman to sing there. Still a student, Mafi made her professional début as Soeur Constance in Grange Park Opera’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites to critics’ approval in The Times, The Telegraph and The Sunday Times.