British soprano Alysia Hanshaw is praised for her ‘enchanting timbre’ (Opera Magazine) and ‘beautiful high notes’ (ODB Opera). Her repertoire spans from baroque works to contemporary composers and she has performed with celebrated conductors including Laurence Cummings, Ottavio Dantone, Emmanuelle Haïm, Aziz Shokhakimov, Ingo Metzmacher and Robin Ticciati.
Highlights from her 25/26 season include her debut at the Ravenna Festival where she performed Handel Messiah with the Accademia Bizantina, Monteverdi Vespro della Beata Vergine at Cuenca Semana de Música Religiosa with Ensemble I Gemelli and Handel Theodora with the Jupiter Ensemble. In summer 2026, she appeared as Nereidi/Naiad in Garsington Opera’s production of Monteverdi Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, and also covered the roles of Minerva/Amore.
Alysia was a member of the 2023-25 Opera Studio at the Opéra National du Rhin, where she performed in productions of Polifemo (Nerea), Guercœur (Ombre d’une vierge), Peer Gynt (Solveig), Les Noces (Soprano soloist) and Sweeney Todd (Ensemble Soloist), and covered the role of Anita in Giuditta by Lehar. She made her debut at the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe as Armida in Rinaldino, an abridged version of Handel Rinaldo, as part of the 2025 Internationale Händel-Festspiele. In 2023, she made her Glyndebourne Festival Opera debut as Sœur Antoine in Dialogues des Carmélites. In 2022, she created roles in two new chamber operas written for the Tête-à-Tête Festival - Darren Sng’s My Days as a Zombie and Michael Hughes’ Cue Action. Other opera roles include La Princesse/Une Pastourelle/La Chauve-Souris (L’enfant et les sortilèges) and the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel).
Alysia’s recent concert work includes Mozart Requiem with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg in a memorial concert for conductor John Nelson, Mozart Mass in C minor with the Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse, Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem with the Orchestra d’Amici, Bach Magnificat with the Bournemouth Bach Choir and Orchestra, and Mahler Symphony No.4 with the Orchestra of the Royal College of Music. She also participated in the annual ‘Concert des Deux Rives’ in Strasbourg, performing arias with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov, to an audience of more than 11,000 people.
Alysia has also appeared in several multi-disciplinary projects. Battle mon Cœur, choreographed by Kaori Ito with TJP Centre Dramatique National, saw Alysia and dancer Léonore Zurflüh perform an autobiographical piece through both music and movement. She also appeared in Les Fables de La Fontaine at the Opéra National du Rhin, choreographed by Jean-Gabriel Manolis; this recital series blended song settings of the fables with choreography influenced by the Japanese dance style of Butoh. In 2025, Alysia appeared in a joint project between the Opéra du Rhin and the Théâtre National de Strasbourg titled Rendez-vous, a devised play based on texts by Roland Barthes in which she both recited monologues and sang operatic arias.
A passionate song performer, Alysia has appeared in recitals in France at the Opéra du Rhin, Château Pourtalès, Théâtre Municipal de Colmar, Comédie de l’Est, La Filature and Théâtre de la Sinne. As a Countess of Munster Recital Scheme Artist, she has given solo recitals throughout the UK, most recently at the Hay Music Festival, St Ann’s Manchester and Roseland Music Society. She was a member of the RCM’s SongPlus scheme with whom she performed recitals for International Women’s Day and an American song collaboration with the Juilliard School, curated by Simon Lepper. In 2022, Alysia was a Young Artist on the SongEasel programme, performing in a French song masterclass at the 1901 Arts Club.
Alysia was awarded the Prix du Public in the Concours International de Chant Baroque de Froville 2025. She was a finalist in the 2023 RCM Concerto Competition, performing Kaija Saariaho’s Leino Songs. In 2021, she was awarded 2nd prize at the Courtney Kenny Award held by the AESS and she is an award holder from Leverhulme Arts, Help Musicians UK and The Countess of Munster Trust. Alysia completed her studies at the Royal College of Music and the Royal Northern College of Music.