Soprano Ashley Stapelfeldt

Soprano Ashley Stapelfeldt was born and raised in KwaZulu-Natal South Africa and began singing from a young age.

She holds a Bachelor of Music (Opera voice) from the South African College of Music at the University of Cape Town, as well as a Master of Music (Classical voice) from the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts in the Netherlands.

Throughout her high school career Ashley took up singing lessons - which led to her writing her own songs and thereafter, recording the songs in studio.

During this time she also developed a new found love for music theatre, which subsequently led her to study music and drama after high school.

At the beginning of her tertiary studies, Ashley attended a lunch hour concert where she recalls her first experience of hearing opera being sung live: she was captivated by the sound of the voices that she had heard on stage and it was then that she realized she wanted to sing opera.

In addition to her solo singing she also enjoys providing singing lessons: in 2020 she founded her singing studio which aimed to provide virtual one on one lessons to students from the age of 4+.

Over time, the studio began to grow and to date, Ashley has taught students (both virtually and in person) in different parts of South Africa, Namibia, the DRC, USA, Germany and the Netherlands.

Stapelfeldt describes singing as one her greatest joys and hopes to one day play the following roles: The Queen of the Night (Die Zauberflöte) and Mimi (La bohème) .

Her repertoire includes works Mozart, Puccini, Léhar, Falla, Webber, Händel, Pergolesi, Gounod, Strauss, Schumaan, Schubert, Franck, Arlen, Bernstein, Gershwin, as well as traditional South African repertoire and spirtuals.