Catherine Thornsley is a Mexican-American soprano from Flagstaff, Arizona, currently based in Seattle, Washington. She will be joining the Seattle Symphony as a soprano soloist in their October concert featuring works by renowned film composer Ennio Morricone. She most recently made her role and company debut with Pacific Opera Victoria as the titular role in Puccini’s Tosca in February 2026.

She was selected as a resident artist for three seasons (2023–2025) at the prestigious Glimmerglass Festival, where she covered Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, and Tosca in Puccini’s Tosca. She made her principal role debut on the Glimmerglass stage in 2024 as the Queen in Jen Ibsen’s youth opera Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children, and returned in 2025 as Cathy, Queen of Cats, in Derek Bermel’s The House on Mango Street—both world premieres.

Catherine was a Northwest Region National Semifinalist in the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition in both 2022 and 2024 and was the First Place winner of the 2026 Vero Beach Opera Competition.

Catherine earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Northern Arizona University, followed by a Master’s in Opera Performance at the University of British Columbia. With UBC opera, she performed notable roles such as Marta in the Canadian premiere of Weinberg’s Pasażerka, Madame Cortese in Rossini’s Il viaggio a Reims, Contessa Almaviva in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro, and the title role in Dvořák’s Rusalka.

Committed to making classical music more accessible, Catherine frequently collaborates with local opera companies and musicians to engage diverse audiences. When not performing, Catherine finds fulfillment in teaching breathing and singing techniques to people of all ages.