After completing her studies at the IMEP Namur and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Franco-Belgian soprano Sophie Junker was quickly established as a leading soprano, notably in the field of Early Music and Handelian opera. Recognition came swiftly in many prestigious competitions such as the London Handel Competition and the Innsbruck Cesti Competition. “The charismatic Sophie Junker goes far beyond flawless technique and pinpoint ornamentation, using her crystal-clear soprano to paint exquisitely detailed portraits.” La Serenissima – Online Merker (2025)
Described as “irresistibly charming” by Opera Magazine, her flexible, luminous voice and moving stage presence have led to collaborations with renowned conductors and ensembles around the world across a wide-ranging repertoire.
On stage she has sung Venere in Legrenzi’s La Divisione del Mondo conducted by Christophe Rousset (Opéra du Rhin, Versailles, Köln); Drusilla in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Staatsoper Berlin conducted by Diego Fasolis and Atilia in Cavalli’s Eliogabalo, directed by Calixto Bieito at the Zurich Opera House.
Sophie has also established relationships with the Opera Royal de Liège Wallonie(Elisetta, Il Matrimonio Segreto; Wanda, La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein; the title-role in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon and Anna Reich in the Lustigen Weiber von Windsor), and Angers-Nantes Opéra (Amour, Orphée et Eurydice; Constance, Dialogues des Carmélites).
Further operatic roles include Caio in Vivaldi’s Ottone in Villa at the Copenhagen Opera Festival; Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) at Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik; Zerline (Don Giovanni) at the Tchaikovsky Hall conducted by Stefano Montanari; and Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) with Opera Fuoco and David Stern.
Regarded as one of the finest Handelian sopranos, she has sung many of the key roles in the repertoire, including Galatea (Acis and Galatea) in Versailles with Robert King, and in a staged version in Prague, Utrecht, and Dortmund with Collegium Marianum; Dorinda (Orlando ) with The English Concert and Harry Bicket; Bellezza (Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno) with Lawrence Cummings; Atalanta (Serse), conducted by David Bates (Opéra de Rouen Normandie); Eurilla (Il Pastor Fido) for the Händel-Festspiele Halle; Asteria (Tamerlano) with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and Christopher Moulds at the Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow. In 2025 she also toured Deborah, in the title role, under Ton Koopman (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées; Utrecht; Wiener Konzerthaus); and Emira (Siroe, re die Persia) at Händel-Festspiele Karlsruhe, staged by Ulrich Peters in 2024 and revived in 2025.
Sophie performs regularly at the Gottingen Festival where she sang Sigismondo (Arminio) with Lawrence Cummings and made her debut as Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), staged and conducted by George Petrou. She will be returning in the title role of Deidamia in May 2026.
Sophie has had a thriving and inspiring long-term collaboration with the conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, including the title role in Handel’s Theodora in Namur, Sasha Waltz’ production of St John Passion at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, concerts of Bach Cantatas and the title role in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea on tour in Germany, Switzerland and Canada.
Amongst others, she has frequently worked with the Poème Harmonique (Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres, Clori in Cavalli’s L’Egisto, Teosena in Pagliardi’s Caligula), the {OH!} Orkiestra (Cunegonda in Vinci’s Gismondo Re di Polonia, Handel cantatas in Handel Festpiele Halle) la Nuova Musica, the Bach Collegium of Japan (Bach Cantatas, Monteverdi’s Vespers), the Academy of Ancient Music (Poppea; Ulisse; Belezza), the Concerto Copenhagen (Bach Cantatas; Scarlatti Motets), Pomo D’oro (Stabat Mater; Handel Recital), Concert de La Loge and many more.
Her Cupid in King Arthur was toured all around Europe with the Vox Luminis ensemble (Salle Gaveau; Palau de la Musica, Barcelona; Teatro Real, Madrid)
Highlights of the 2025/26 season include two significant role debuts. At the Grand Théatre de Genève and subsequently in Versailles, she will sing Télaïre in Castor et Pollux, conducted by Alarcón. And with the Gli Angeli Ensemble, she debuts as Eurydice in Orfeo e Eurydice in Geneva. Later in the season, Sophie revives the title role in Handel’s Deidamia at the Gottingen Festival.
Sophie’s many acclaimed recordings include her first solo album, La Francesina, released on Aparté in 2020, which received an International Classical Music Award as well as the Trophée Forum-Opéra. Her most recent recordings include the very well-received La Serenissima with {OH!} Orkiestra (2025) and Handel’s Théodora with Millenium Orchestra (2026).
(2025_26. Use this CV exclusively.)
