Chelsea Kolić
Soprano, Croatian-Canadian

Croatian-Canadian soprano Chelsea Kolić has gained renown throughout North America and Europe as an exciting young artist. She has received more than ten international awards and four first prizes, which include being named Canada District Winner of the 2021–2022 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition. In the fall of 2023, after seven years of working and studying abroad in Europe, Chelsea returned to Canada to join the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. In her first season, she successfully covered the roles of La Contessa in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata, made her mainstage debut as Annina in La Traviata, and sang La Virtù and Venere in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea. She also gave strong performances as Donna Elvira and Vitellia in a Mozart scenes project under the world-renowned director of production Stephen Lawless. Chelsea was also a guest of the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville in their concert production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, singing the role of Giannetta.
Chelsea Kolić’s upcoming season will feature the roles of Mimi (La Bohème), La princesse/La bergère/La chouette (L’Enfant et les sortilèges), Vitellia (La clemenza di Tito) and La Lune in the world premiere of Le Phare by Laurence Jobidon. She will also appear as Mrs. Gobineau/Offstage Voice (Menotti’s The Medium) with the Orchestre classique de Montréal.
In 2016, she completed her Bachelor of Music degree at McGill University with soprano Joanne Kolomyjec. During her studies at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, she completed both a Master of Arts degree in Lied and Oratorio under the direction of Barbara Bonney and Wolfgang Holzmair, and a Master of Arts in Opera under the direction of Gernot Sahler and Alexander von Pfeil. In the spring of 2021, she starred as a soloist with Theater Krefeld and Mönchengladbach in The Plague, a Baroque opera pasticcio with music by Henry Purcell. During the following three seasons, she sang Frasquita in Carmen, 1st Wood Sprite in Dvořák’s Rusalka, 1st Elf in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1st Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Countess Ceprano/Page in Verdi’s Rigoletto, and Lisa in Bellini’s La Sonnambula. In the fall of 2022, Chelsea made her UK debut in the title role of Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen with the Hampstead Garden Opera, London. She recently performed Orff’s Carmina Burana in Bregenz, Austria, and Handel’s Messiah in Saint Catherine’s and Burlington, Canada, and looks forward to more upcoming concert performances soon.
Member of the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, Chelsea is generously sponsored by Sue and Soren Wehner.