Director, Facilitator, Arts Manager
Sophie is an award-winning theatre, opera and film director, arts leader, and educator with an extensive portfolio career. She is a Jette Parker Artist at the Royal Ballet and Opera for the 24/25 season. Alongside her critically acclaimed work as a director in the UK and Europe, she is Co-Founder of SWAP’ra (Supporting Women and Parents in Opera), Artistic Director of HeadFirst Productions, and was Festival Director of A Festival of Sex, Love and Death. Upcoming work includes directing Telemann's Pimpinone in the Linbury Theatre for the Royal Ballet and Opera. She recently staged a dramatic concert production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice for Opera North, directed Cesar Cui’s Little Red Riding Hood for Northern Opera Group, and was the Creative Producer for the SWAP’ra Retreat at Snape Maltings and at Glyndebourne.
"DIRECTED BY SOPHIE GILPIN, THE PRODUCTION CAUGHT THE WIT OF THE PIECE, WITH A MUCH-NEEDED SPRINKLING OF MAGIC"
★★★★★ THE OBSERVER [Cendrillion, Northern Opera Group]
"THIS IS STORY-TELLING STRIPPED TO ITS ESSENTIALS, THE CONCENTRATED EMOTION EVEN MORE POTENT"
★★★★ REVIEWSGATE [Orfeo ed Euridice, Opera North]
"GILPIN EXCELS AT DRAWING OUT THE ACTOR WITHIN THE SINGER AND HER COMPOSED YET POSITIVE DIRECTION ACCENTUATES THE EMOTIONS OF THE CHARACTERS."
★★★★ SPY IN THE STALLS [Don Giovanni, HeadFirst Productions]
"SOPHIE GILPIN'S PRODUCTION WHICH, IN ITS CANNY FUSION OF ARTIFICE AND SINCERITY, SOPHISTICATION AND SIMPLICITY, TRACED THE OPERA'S ARC FROM PASTORAL ROMP TO DEATH AND TRANSFORMATION."
OPERA MAGAZINE [Acis & Galatea, Vache Baroque Festival]