Savanna Sokolnicki
About
Savanna Sokolnicki (Soprano), has established herself as a successful international performer and voice teacher. She has many credits to her performing career including, most recently, a world premiere with Arcady Opera in Ontario, Canada where she is an emerging artist.
Growing up just outside of Toronto, Canada, Savanna thrived in the musical world from a young age. Savanna successfully competed in Kiwanis and Peel music festivals in, and around Toronto. At the age of 16, Savanna was awarded the prestigious grand prize at the renowned International Festival of Religious Song. After high school, her love of singing and music took her to Rochester, NY where she attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music for a Bachelors degree in vocal performance and a Masters degree in Vocal Performance and Literature.
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While at Eastman, Savanna grew her performance repertoire, exploring the world of opera in her role as Olga in The Merry Widow, and as Mrs. Gobineau in The Medium. Eastman was also where Savanna first discovered her love for musical theatre when she starred as as Freulein Schneider in Eastman Opera Theatre’s production of Cabaret and Lily in The Secret Garden.
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The University of Kentucky was also where Savanna fostered a respect and love for academia. She presented five successful lecture recitals; one focused on the German lieder surrounding the literary character of Gretchen from Goethe’s Faust as well as a chamber recital featuring the works of renowned Canadian composer John Greer. Savanna's dissertation entitled, Gretchen's Soliloquy "Ach Neige Du Schmerzenreiche" from Goethe's Faust: A vocal performance analysis and set of performance guidelines for various solo voice settings, was published by the University of Kentucky and continues to be used all over the world as a vital resource for the study and comprehension of this German vocal literature.
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Savanna’s love for performance continued to grow in her years as as student. During her time at the University of Kentucky she studied under the tutelage of world-renowned soprano Cynthia Lawrence. She performed the role of Juliette in Romeo et Juliette and Carlotta in Phantom of the Opera.
Savana’s performing resume advances and expands worldwide. In 2018 she sang her premier with the renowned Canadian York Symphony Orchestra on their Holiday concert series. Her world travels have seen performances in North America, Asia and Europe. She presented several recitals in Dubai and performances in Poland, Austria and Italy, where she sang the role of Donna Elvira in Opera Orvieto’s production of Don Giovanni.
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June of 2019 saw the world premier of Ron Beckett’s Wide Waters. The piece, dedicated to Savanna, will be published in Beckett’s Songs for High Voice, Volume Five (2021). Volume 4 of Ron Beckett’s Songs for High Voice was released in February of 2020, in it, the song So we’ll go no more a-roving, was dedicated to Savanna. The composer explained, “You did so well with it that I thought I’d give it to you!”.
2016 brought Savanna to Nashville, TN where she has performed with organizations such as Opera on Tap, Nashville Art Song Society, and with Nashville Opera in their productions of Amahl and the Night Visitors (2019) and Les contes d'Hoffmann (2019).
Dr. Sokolnicki is currently on faculty at the world acclaimed Belmont University in Nashville, TN where she teaches private voice as well as Italian and English diction. She continues to build her performance and academic resumes, and frequently travels to various universities and conferences as an expert lecturer in the fields of vocal music, languages and dialects.
Awards & Achievements
Savanna is proud to be a recipient of the following honors:
Tom Getchell Scholarship - University of Kentucky
Howard Hanson Scholarship - Eastman School of Music
Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival - 1st place winner
International Festival of Religious Song - Grand Prix
