Sarah Mileham
Bio
Sarah Mileham is a 24-year-old soprano from Aotearoa, New Zealand. She graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Waikato in 2024, studying with Soprano Anna Leese. Sarah was a member of Te Pae Kōkako – The Aotearoa New Zealand Opera Studio (TANZOS), where she studied with Nikki Li Hartliep for a Masters in Advanced Opera Studies, supported by the Dame Malvina Major Foundation Opera Grant.
Sarah made her debut with New Zealand Opera in 2024 as Maria Bertram in Jonathan Dove’s Mansfield Park and Countess Ceprano in Verdi’s Rigoletto. She also performed the role of Adina in the school's tour production of Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love in 2024–25. In 2026, she appeared as Barbarina in New Zealand Opera’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and sang the role of Poussette in Wellington Opera’s production of Massenet’s Manon.
Her recent competition successes include winning the 2025 Coombes Johnston BMW New Zealand Aria, the Ōtautahi Aria, the Wellington Aria, and the Southland Aria. Sarah won the Second Prize in the Kiri Te Kanawa Song Quest 2026.
A member of the New Zealand Opera School between 2023 and 2026, Sarah was awarded the Merle Higgie Opera Prize for Potential in 2024 and the Dame Sister Mary Leo Foundation Award in 2026. In September 2026 she joined Mascarade Opera in Florence as an Emerging Artist.
