IPSWICH Musical Theatre Company will stage its popular production Songs That Won the War for the last time on November 16.
The production was written by Clive Render, who was a child in England during WWII, as a one-time-only show to mark Remembrance Day on the 11/11/2011.
It proved so popular, it has become an IMTC tradition, staged on a Sunday close to Remembrance Day each year since.
The final production will feature Ipswich soprano Sophie Salvesani, who returns from a year based in Berlin thanks to her success in the finals of two of Australia’s most prestigious competitions, the Sydney Eisteddfod Opera Scholarship (2nd Place) and the German-Australian Opera Grant (Encouragement Award).
Sophie was also awarded an Acclaim Academic Scholarship, which she will undertake this year in Italy under the guidance of Professor Valeria Esposito.
She was recently awarded The Opera Foundation for Young Australians 2025 Deutsche Oper Award and will be in the 2026-27 seasons with Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Next July, she will debut in the role of Königin der Nacht in Die Zauberflöte with Opera in Die Zauberflöte Classica Europe.
She made her operatic debut as Violetta in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata at the Sydney Opera House in 2022 and last year returned to Violetta in Sarah Giles’ acclaimed production, a new, co-production between Opera Australia, Opera Queensland, State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera.
Last year also saw Sophie debut as The Governess in The Turn of the Screw with the Hayes Theatre Co, marking its first operatic production.
This followed both her professional and principal debut in 2019 as Maria in Opera Australia’s touring production of West Side Story.
Following this success, Sophie went on to play the role of Rosina in Opera Australia’s 2020 NSW School’s Tour of The Barber of Seville.
During this time she was awarded the prestigious Australian Opera Awards Committee Dame Joan Sutherland Award.
With an invitation to join Opera Australia’s Young Artist Program in 2021, Sophie has since been involved in a number of productions, a highlight being her role debut as Donna Anna in their 2023 production of Don Giovanni.
She also covered the roles of Hanna Glavari (The Merry Widow), Princess Eudoxie (La Juive), Gilda (Rigoletto) and Olympia (Les contes d’Hoffmann).
On the concert stage, Sophie has performed with the Opera Australia orchestra on many occasions, most notably for the HSBC Opera in the Gardens and Opera Gala at Uluru.
She has also performed with Orchestra Victoria for BMW Opera.
Sophie will be singing two songs in Songs That Won the War, which will be on at the historic Old Courthouse, November 16 at 1.30pm.
