Biography

Manchester-born British-Argentine Soprano Ceferina Penny is currently a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio (NOS) 24/25 and is a Sybil Tutton Award Holder. She completed her undergraduate and master’s studies as a Charles Ravel Scholar at the Royal College of Music (RCM), under the tutelage of Janis Kelly. 

Upon beginning her studies in 2018, she made her professional debut with ENO as The Slave in Salome, at the London Coliseum. In 2021, she made her debut at The Grange Festival, singing Peaseblossom in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In  2023, Ceferina performed the role of Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro at the Château de Panloy, Port-d’Enveaux, with Westminster Opera Company. Thus far at NOS, she has performed scenes as Gretel, Musetta, Ilia, Giulietta and Ännchen. 

She has performed as a soloist in venues across Britain and Europe, including, The Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Burgos Cathedral, Barcelona, Salamanca and Ávila. Recent concert work comprises of Mozart’s Exultate Jubilate (Westminster Opera Company), Brahms Liebeslieder Walzer and Schumann Spanisches Liebeslieder (Conway Hall) and Soprano II Soloist in Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor (Cohen Ensemble). In June 2024, she performed as ‘Solveig’ in excerpts from Peer Gynt with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Cadogan Hall) conducted by Adam Hickox. 

Thus far, Ceferina has been selected and taken part in masterclasses with Dame Ann Murray, Sir Thomas Allen, Véronique Gens and Michael Chance CBE, amongst others. Ceferina was delighted to be asked to record for and appear in the final ever episode of ITV’s popular series ‘Endeavour’, which was filmed at Blenheim Palace. In June 2023, Ceferina was the recipient of the Audience Prize in the Maureen Lehane Vocal Awards, which took place at the Wigmore Hall.  

In May 2024, she participated in a series of Masterclasses which culminated in a showcase of scenes and arias at the much-celebrated Clonter Opera Theatre. Here, she worked with illustrious director Peter Relton and conductor Philip Sunderland and performed scenes as Gretel, Nannetta, Blanche DuBois and Susanna. Ceferina is a Britten Pears Young Artist 24/25 and the recipient of the Elizabeth Harwood Memorial Award. With Britten Pears, she has been coached on French Mélodie by leading professionals, Véronique Gens, Susan Manoff and Audrey Hyland.  Ceferina will return to Britten Pears Arts this summer, giving a recital of Lieder and Mélodie as part of the Aldeburgh Festival.