Chronological list of operatic sopranos


This is a chronological list of sopranos who have performed in operas from classical music of the Western world. The list spans from operatic sopranos active in the first operas of the late 16th century to singers currently performing. Singers who have recorded opera arias or sung them in concert but have never performed in an opera are not included in this list. Singers are sorted by their year of birth. Those singers whose birth year is unknown are sorted by the first year that they are known to have flourished. This list should not include singers who have never performed in a staged opera with the exception of historic non-white singers who were barred from the opera stage in varying parts of the world due to discrimination prior to the mid-20th century. This list is limited to those whose notability is established by reliable sources in other Wikipedia articles.

Operatic sopranos born in the 15th and 16th centuries

Before 1600

1600–1649

1650–1699

Operatic sopranos born in the 18th century

1700–1739

1740s

1750s

1760s

1770s

1780s

1790s

Operatic sopranos born in the 19th century

1800s

1800
1801
1802
1803
1804
1801
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809

1810s

1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1819

1820s

1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829

1830s

1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839

1840s

1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849

1850s

1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857
1858
1859

1860s

1860
1861
1862
1863
1864
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869

1870s

1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1875
1876
1877
1878
1879

1880s

1880
1881
1882
1883
1884
1885
1886
1887
1888
1889

1890s

1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899

Operatic sopranos born in the 20th century

1900s

1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909

1910s

1910
1911
1912
1913
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
1919

1920s

1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1927
1928
1929

1930s

1930
1931
1932
1933
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939

1940s

1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949

1950s

1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959

1960s

1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969

1970s

1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979

1980s

1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989

1990s