BIOGRAPHY
Simone McIntosh is a Swiss-Canadian mezzo-soprano known for her versatility across repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary, with a particular affinity for bel canto and agile coloratura singing.
McIntosh has performed on major opera stages across Europe and North America, including San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opernhaus Zürich, Scottish Opera, Oper am Rhein, Bayerische Staatsoper and Staatsoper Hannover. In 2025/26, McIntosh made house debuts at the Hamburgische Staatsoper, Teatro Real, Concertgebauw and Bühnen Bern. McIntosh will debut at The Royal Ballet and Opera in the coming 2026/27 season.
She is especially celebrated in bel canto repertoire, with signature roles including Angelina (La Cenerentola), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Anna (Maometto Secondo), and Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi). Other notable roles include Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel, Arsamene in Serse, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and Proserpina/La Speranza in L'Orfeo. In the 2025/26 season, she debuted the roles of Adalgisa in Norma, Ugo d’Asti in Donizetti’s Dalinda, Sesto in Giulio Cesare, Dorabella in Cosí fan tutte and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The summer of 2026, McIntosh will be creating the role of Patricia Gallagher in Jake Heggie’s new opera The Judgement of Paris with Festival Napa Valley.
An active recitalist, McIntosh has appeared with Music in the Morning, the Richard Bradshaw Free Concert Series, the Schwabacher Recital Series, Toronto Summer Music Festival, and SongFest. Her recital and chamber repertoire spans a wide range, with a strong emphasis on German and French art song. She frequents works by Schubert, Strauss, Schoenberg, Berg, Messiaen, Duparc, and Poulenc. Notable featured pieces include Messiaen’s Harawi, Respighi’s Il tramonto, and John Harbison’s Motetti di Montale.
A prizewinner in numerous international competitions, McIntosh was awarded First Prize Laureate in the Concours Musical International de Montréal – Aria Division, Second Prize and Best Mezzo-Soprano at Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg , and was the recipient of the Igor Gorin Memorial Award. She represented Canada at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2023, where she was a finalist in the Art Song Competition. Earlier accolades include Second Prize with Concours OSM, the Manetti-Sherem Vocal Prize, and Wirth Vocal Prize.
She is an alumna of the International Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zürich, the Adler Fellowship Program at San Francisco Opera, and the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. Additional training includes fellowships with Merola Opera, SongFest, Toronto Summer Music Festival, and the Banff Centre. McIntosh holds an MMus from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and a BMus from the University of British Columbia, in her hometown of Vancouver.
When not on the road, one would find Simone in Paris enjoying an almond croissant and Aperol spritz with her toy poodle in her lap.
