biography
Korean-Australian soprano Gemma Nha is recently completed her tenure with Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. She made her house debut this past season as the Page in Rigoletto, reprised Barbarina, and sang the role of Jess and covered Ashley in Missy Mazzoli’s The Listeners. Gemma has a Master of Music in Vocal Arts from The Juilliard School where she studied with Darrell Babidge as a Toulmin Scholar and Kovner Fellow, and a Bachelor of Arts Gesang (Honours) from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna where she was under the tutelage of Peter Edelmann.
In a continuing relationship, Gemma will join the Volksoper Wien in the 25/26 season as a soloist in their ensemble, performing Maria West Side Story, Pamina Die Zauberflöte, Adele Die Fledermaus, Susanna Le nozze di Figaro, and Wendla Spring Awakening. The summer leading up to this, Gemma will perform with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall in their Bach Festival under the baton of Maestro Lionel Meunier. She will then be a Filene Artist at Wolf Trap Opera, singing Soeur Constance in Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites.
In the 23/24 season, Gemma made two role debuts as Ruth Baldwin in John Musto and Mark Campbell’s Later the Same Evening, and Flerida in Cavalli’s Erismena, both with Juilliard Opera. She also debuted with the Albany Symphony at the Troy Saving Banks Music Hall, at Carnegie Hall as a prize winner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation Lieder/Song Competition, and with Grant Park Music Festival in Mahler’s Symphony 8, celebrating the end of Maestro Carlos Kalmar’s tenure as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the festival. Gemma became a National Semifinalist of the Laffont Metropolitan Opera Competition representing the New England Region, and became the first female singer to win First Prize at the 18th Seoul International Music Competition.
In previous seasons, Gemma made her house and role debut as Barbarina Le nozze di Figaro at the Volksoper Wien, sang La Conversa I and covered Lauretta in Juilliard Opera’s double bill Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, and was an Apprentice Singer at the Santa Fe Opera. Other operatic credits include: Zerlina Don Giovanni and Esmeralda Die verkaufte Braut in the Schlosstheater Schönbrunn for the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw); and Gretel Hänsel und Gretel with PlusOpera. In concert, Gemma performed in Händel’s Dixit Dominus at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and Messiah with the Fiori Musicali Chamber Choir as well as the Tagkhanic Chorale under the baton of Maestro Jason Tramm. She has also worked in masterclass settings with conductor Speranza Scappucci, Dame Jane Glover, Roger Vignoles, Helmut Deutsch, Julius Drake, Keval Shah, Renee Fleming, and Lisette Oropesa.
Also present in the musical theatre scene, Gemma made her professional debut covering and performing Tuptim The King and I at Seefestspiele Mörbisch, and performed other musical theatre roles including Trix the Aviatrix The Drowsy Chaperone MUSE and Meg in Australian musical 7 Little Australians Opera Carnivale. She also performed with Patti Lupone on her 2018 Don’t Monkey with Broadway tour at the Sydney Opera House. She was awarded a discretionary prize at the 2025 Lotte Lenya Competition Finals for Outstanding Performance of a Contemporary Musical Theater Selection.
In 2023, Gemma was the Liederkranz Foundation Second Prize winner of the Gerda Lissner Foundation Lieder/Song Competition and awarded an Encouragement Award at the Gerda Lissner Foundation International Vocal Competition. She has also seen previous success in the Joan Sutherland & Richard Bonynge Foundation Bel Canto Award, Esther and Myron Wilson Cedar Rapids Voice Competition, the Marcella Sembrich International Voice Competition and The Sydney Eisteddfod, placing first in French Song, Lieder, and Art Song (16-20), as well as Musical Theatre Vocal Duets and Song from a Musical/Musical Theatre (18 & over). Gemma was a 2025 and 2020 finalist of the Lotte Lenya Competition and contributed to the Lotte Lenya Competition Songbook.
“…perfekt Komödie…”
“…perfect comedy…”
Peter Jarolin, Kurier
A graduate of The McDonald College Performing Arts School with the Principal’s Scholarship and the Young Actors at Strasberg program at The Lee Strasberg Film and Theater Institute in New York, Gemma has pursued performing arts since the age of eleven and began her classical singing journey at seventeen with Dr. Rowena Cowley at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. During her time at the Con, Gemma received The Olive Margaret Stewart Bequest, The Patrick Lucas Music Achievement Scholarship and the Vice Chancellor’s Global Mobility Scholarship to assist with her transition to Vienna. She was seen on televised singing competitions such as The Voice Kids Australia, The Voice Australia and KpopStar Season 4, and performed at Nickelodeon’s Slimefest 2014 as a Voice Kids guest.