She has such a glorious bloom on her soprano voice that you’d think she could simply sing open the gates of heaven. Rich, luxurious, blissful.. she sang with total conviction and radiant beauty throughout - The Times
One of the most in-demand artists today, British soprano Louise Alder has firmly established herself as “an instinctive singing-actress” (The Arts Desk) and “a terrific talent, combining a big, lustrous voice with flawless intonation and keen intelligence” (The Times).
A hugely versatile artist, she is equally at home in the world’s most important opera, concert, and recital venues such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Wiener Staatsoper; Glyndebourne Festival; Bayerische Staatsoper; Carnegie Hall; and Wigmore Hall, where she held a widely acclaimed artistic residency in 2024.
This season Louise makes her debut as Zdenka in Arabella at The Metropolitan Opera, which will also be broadcast live in cinemas worldwide. She returns to Royal Ballet and Opera as Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) and concerts include The Creation with Daniel Harding and the Berlin Philharmonic at Salzburg Osterfestspiele, Songs of the Auvergne in BBC Proms with LPO and Edward Gardner, Mahler 2 with Sir Simon Rattle and BRSO in Munich and Hamburg, Donna Anna with SCO at the Edinburgh International Festival and recitals with Joseph Middleton at Buxton Festival, Leeds Song and Wigmore Hall.
Louise welcomed her second child in February this year, a daughter called Robin. The whole family are very grateful for the beautiful well wishes.
Next season features highlights such as Semele at Bayerische Staatsoper, Fiordiligi in Cosi fan Tutte at both Royal Ballet and Opera and Vienna State Opera, Brahms Requiem with Chicago Symphony, The Creation with Boston Symphony and Philippe Jordan, Strauss’ Daphne with Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin and Vladimir Jurowski at the Berlin Philharmonie, her debut as Violetta in La Traviata at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and recitals with Joseph Middelton at Wigmore Hall, Oper Frankfurt and Oxford Lieder.
Recent engagements include Micaela in Carmen at San Francisco Opera and role debuts as Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) at Vienna State Opera and Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro) at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) at Wiener Staatsoper, Royal Ballet and Opera, Bayeriche Staatsoper, Opernhaus Zürich, Oper Frankfurt and English National Opera, Fiordiligi (Cosi fan Tutte) at Bayerische Staatsoper, Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) at Wiener Staatsoper, Glyndebourne, Oper Frankfurt and Welsh National Opera, Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) at Theater an der Wien, Oper Frankfurt and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, Cordelia in King Lear at The Grange Festival, Zerlina (Don Giovanni) at Royal Opera House, Teatro Real Madrid and Glyndebourne, Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Marzelline (Fidelio) at Bayerische Staatsoper, title role in La Calisto with Ivor Bolton at Teatro Real Madrid, Musetta (La Boheme) at ENO, Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) with Garsington Opera and Oper Frankfurt, Gilda (Rigoletto), Vixen Sharp Ears (Cunning Little Vixen), with Oper Frankfurt.
Concert highlights include Last Night of the BBC Proms 2025, Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) at Carnegie Hall and the Barbican with English Concert, a tour of Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch with Mauro Peter and Joseph Middleton at Bliss International Song Series Cambridge, Leeds Lieder at Opera North, Wigmore Hall, Vienna’s Musikverein, Oper Frankfurt and Life Victoria Barcelona, Mahler 2 with Sir Simon Rattle and London Symphony orchestra at the BBC Proms, The Messiah at the New York Philharmonic and Musikverein Vienna, Szenen aus Goethes Faust and Canteloube Chants d'Auvergne with The Concertgebouw and BRSO, the title role in Semele with John Eliot Gardiner at Teatro alla Scala Milan, Philharmonie de Paris and Palau de la Música, Barcelona, Beethoven 9 with Tokyo Philharmonic, Mozart arias with Daniel Harding and Mahler Chamber Orchestra in Salzburg Mozartwoche.
Louise has widely recorded, including Theodora with Arcangelo and Alpha Classics; Chère Nuit, a selection of French songs with Joseph Middleton and Chandos Records; Strauss Brentano Lieder with Robin Ticciati and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester; Semele on both CD and DVD with John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists; Through Life and Love, a programme of Strauss Songs with pianist Joseph Middleton for Orchid Classics; Lines Written during a Sleepless Night: The Russian Connection also with Joseph Middleton for Chandos.
Other recent highlights include title role in Theodora with Arcangelo/Jonathan Cohen at the BBC Proms and Vienna Konzerthaus , Messiah with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester at the Berlin Philharmonie with Robin Ticciati in performances staged by Frederick Wake-Walker, Jessie in Turnage’s The Silver Tassie with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Ryan Wigglesworth, Mozart Arias in Salzburg and Hamburg with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Robin Ticciati.
Louise is a passionate recitalist and has performed in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Royal Opera House, Schwarzenberg, Graz Musikverein, Oper Frankfurt, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein Wien, International Song Festival Zeis, Juan March Foundation Madrid, Life Victoria Barcelona, Purcell Room Southbank Centre, BBC Proms at the Cadogan Hall, Holywell Music Room Oxford and Queen's Hall Edinburgh with pianists Joseph Middleton, Gary Matthewman, James Baillieu and Roger Vignoles.
Louise won the Singer award at the RPS Awards in 2026, best Young Singer at the International Opera Awards 2017 and Audience Prize at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017, inaugural British Young Soloists' Competition at the Wigmore Hall in 2015, the 2014 Glyndebourne Festival Opera John Christie Award and the 2013 Glyndebourne on Tour Donald Albert Anderson Award. Also in 2013, Louise won second prize in Kathleen Ferrier Award and an INDEPENDENT OPERA fellowship and became a Classical Opera Associate Artist. Other prizes include first prize and a Miriam Licette Award in the 2012 Maggie Teyte French Song Competition, and numerous prizes at the Royal College of Music including the 2013 Tagore Gold Medal awarded every year to two graduating students for outstanding representation of the RCM. Louise is a 2013 Samling Scholar and a Britten-Pears young artist almuni.
Louise was born in London into a family of musicians and graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Edinburgh in 2010 where she studied singing with Patricia MacMahon. The same year she joined the Royal College of Music, graduating in 2013 from the International Opera School as the inaugural Kiri Te Kanawa scholar. She continues to study with Dinah Harris.