Sophia — The Debut Concert marks the first solo concert for Sophia Gittings a 2024 graduate of Queen Margaret College. 

Sophia began singing lessons at age 6. It has been her dream to be a professional singer and she spent her years at QMC as a pillar of the Performing Arts. 

Over the past five years, Sophia has been recognised for her vocal colour, poise, repertoire, and artistry. This fundraising concert is a tremendous opportunity for you to be a part of Sophia's next steps in her journey. Sophia has the passion, skills, opportunity, and motivation to be a world-class opera star. 

This concert will feature a diverse set of music sung by Sophia and an array of exceptional supporting acts, including the renowned opera singer Wade Kernot. There will also be several QMC current students, and our award-winning premier choir, Voces Luce. Her musical prowess extends beyond QMC, where she has toured China with the New Zealand Secondary Students' Choir and is a member of the New Zealand Youth Choir. During the choir's tour to China, Sophia was selected to sing a solo with the choir in Shanghai, performing the classical Chinese song Mo Li Hua (The Jasmine Song). Additionally, Sophia placed first in three classical categories in her age group at the prestigious Lockwood New Zealand Aria Competition. 

Sophia's journey has been shaped by the guidance of renowned instructors and her acceptance with scholarships into top universities worldwide, including the Royal College of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

She will embark on her next chapter in August 2025. 

Don't miss your chance to say you attended Sophia's debut concert and supported her rise to global acclaim.

Dress is smart-casual with no denim.

Meet the performers...

Fundraising 

The dual fundraising for this event both supports Sophia as she embarks on her journey overseas mid-year and also launches the Colleges ambitious fundraising goals for the development of the Creative Industries Centre. 

Fundraising This dual-purpose fundraising initiative both supports Sophia as she embarks on an overseas opportunity mid-year, and launches the College's ambitious campaign to develop the Creative Industries Centre at Queen Margaret College. 

All donations made in connection with this event are entirely voluntary and will be equally allocated between Sophia and the Creative Industries Centre, up to a capped amount of $10,000 in support of Sophia. Donations are made without expectation of benefit and are classified as unconditional gifts under New Zealand tax law. This means donors do not receive any direct or identifiable benefit in return for their contribution. 

This is not a ticketed event, and attendance does not constitute the provision of goods or services in exchange for a donation. 

Sophia is a passionate advocate for the future of the Creative Industries Centre, having herself been nurtured by its programs. She now hopes to give back by inspiring the next generation of artists. A suggested donation of $100 per person is welcomed, and a tax receipt will be provided for all contributions. 

This event is a celebration of Sophia's talent and a powerful expression of the excellence and creativity that future-focused philanthropic support at QMC enables.  

Be a Supporter of the Event 

Join us in making the Sophia — The Debut Concert a resounding success! We invite individuals and businesses to become supporters of this incredibly special event. Your support will not only help us celebrate the debut of a future world-renowned opera singer but also contribute to the creation of the QMC Creative Industries Centre, which will nurture and develop future stars like Sophia. We are seeking event supporters, and donations for our silent auction and raffles. Your generous contributions will become the foundation to our fundraising efforts. 

To support the event or donate a prize, please email foundation@qmc.school.nz