Simone Sauphanor is of Trinidadian and French parentage and studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she was awarded a number of prizes and scholarships. Simone was a winner of the Ernst and Young award for Singers at the Royal Overseas League Competition and as part of her prize, sang in concert at St. James Palace for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and all the Heads of State of the Commonwealth.
In 2000, Simone made her debut with Opera North as the Countess in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and in 2001 sang her first Elvira – I Puritani – for Haddo House Opera. Elsewhere, over 30 operatic roles include Mimi and Violetta, for Opera Project Clorinda – Rossini’s Cenerentola, Constanza, Fiordiligi, First Lady, Donna Anna and Lady Billows, also Fiordiligi, Donna Anna and First Lady for English Touring Opera, Salud-La Vida Breve, Vitellia-La Clemenza di Tito and Berenice-Handel’s Scipio and the covers of the Marschallin-Der Rosenkavalier and Elettra-Idomeneo for Opera North.
In 1996, Simone sang Jenny in Weill’s Aufsteig und Fall der Stadt Mahagony for the National Reisopera of the Netherlands, returning to the company the following year as Judith in Bartok’s Hertog Blauwbaards Burcht. Simone has performed the main role in the premier of a new opera Bird of Night for the Royal Opera at the Linbury Studio in January 2005, filmed and recorded for BBC 4 Television Channel and has also sung for the Opera Group the role of Circe in another new opera by Edward Ruchton-Linen from Smyrna, 3rd part of the trilogy Birds Barks and Bones which won the Opera and Stage Work Category of 2005 at the British Composer Awards.
From 1997 Simone sang for many years with London Voices having the opportunity to work on amazing projects including performing with the violinist Nigel Kennedy at Glastonbury, John Adams' El Niño at Le Châtelet, Paris and singing on various film soundtracks including the prequel trilogy of Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, Enemy at the Gates, The Passion of Christ, Dogma and the Harry Potter series where she voiced the Screaming Mother of Harry Potter conducted by the legendary composer John Williams.
Simone made her West End debut as Cindy-Lou in the award winning production of Carmen Jones at the Old Vic Theatre directed by Simon Callow and returned to the role which she has sung over 500 times for a tour of the UK and Japan. She has performed in Bernstein’s Wonderful Town with the LSO and Sir Simon Rattle which was subsequently recorded for EMI and has since performed the work again in Berlin with Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Simone has also toured with the Northern Ballet as guest vocal soloist in the UK premier of The Genius of Gershwin in Song and Dance, I Got Rhythm, and has also taken part in a further tour as Soprano Soloist in the UK premier of Mozart’s Requiem!! also for Northern Ballet.
Simone performed the 2nd Woman in Stephen Sondheim’s Side by Side musical revue for the Opera Project at West Green House, and in November 2005 she sang the role of Marie-Therese in the world premier concert performances of Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters’ opera – CA IRA at the Parco Della Musica in Rome, Italy. In the summer of 2005, Simone sang the role of Serena in a concert performance of Gershwin’s ‘Porgy and Bess‘ in the Barbican Hall, London, with the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Wayne Marshall.
In the spring of 2008 she sang the role of 3rd Woman in Fats Waller’s Musical Revue, Ain’t Misbehavin for Oxfordshire Touring Theatre Company on a small national tour. In July 2008 Simone sang the role of Mrs Fiorentino in Weill’s Street Scene for the Opera Group at the Young Vic-London, which in late November 2008 was awarded the Evening Standard award for Best Musical.
In June 2009, Simone was in the ensemble as Frau Zeller in the UK Tour of The David Ian and Andrew Lloyd Webber Production of The Sound of Music. Simone was also the 1st cover Mother Abbess, a role she played many times during the tour.
In September 2011, Simone again sang the role of Mrs Fiorentino in the revival of Street Scene for the Opera Group at the Young Vic, London, together with a small UK tour and performances at the Theatre an der Wein in Vienna – Austria. A performance of Street Scene was also recorded and broadcast on the radio show -Afternoon on 3- BBC Radio.
Simone was the Guest Vocal Soloist when Northern Ballet had the 3rd revival of I Got Rhythm in 2012 and also joined the ensemble in the summer of 2012 for Opera North’s acclaimed production of Carousel at the Barbican in London.
In 2013, for the final revival of Street Scene, Simone again performed the role of Mrs Fiorentino for The Opera Group at The Châtelet in Paris and The Liceu in Barcelona. Simone also sang the role of Sister Sophia in Irving Street Productions’ The Sound of Music in Amman – Jordan.
In the Spring of 2014, Simone was offered the role of Stephanie Silva in the Clemens Bros short film Dress Rehearsal, written by A.J.Evans and Samuel Clemens with the late Brian Clemens OBE as a producer.
In 2015, Simone was in the ensemble on the International Asian Tour of David Ian and the Really Useful Group Production of The Sound of Music performing in Hong Kong, China and Indonesia.
Since 2016, Simone has been working primarily as a Singing Teacher/Vocal Coach.
In 2020, Simone was awarded the Guildhall Certificate from the GSMD in Coaching and Mentoring accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
Simone was the Voice and Dialect Coach for the new Musical set in Trinidad, The Playboy of the West Indies by Mustapha Matura at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre in June 2022.