Cassandra barker-mclaren

SOPRANO

SUPPLEMENTARY

Based in her home city of Melbourne, Cassandra is a soprano with a diverse musical background, spanning classical, fusion jazz, music theatre and more. Having made her professional debut in Lyric Opera Melbourne’s Werther, Cassandra has gained over a decade of vocal and performance training, currently studying voice under the guidance of Suzanne Johnston. In 2025, she trained at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music (MCM), performing in their Baroque Ensemble and Early Voices, most recently performing at St Paul’s Cathedral, with other chorus credits including Victorian Opera’s  outh Chorus Ensemble. Additionally in 2025, she was a solo act at the Melbourne Recital Centre as a part of the FFAM’s Bold Stage Program, and, beyond opera, continued her childhood passions in music theatre as an Onstage Swing/Enid U/S in Theatrical’s Legally Blonde the Musical, and as the Witch in Soundworks Into the Woods. Building upon her amateur theatre background which saw her receive two Music Theatre Guild of Victoria Nominations in 2023 and 2024, in 2026 Cassandra will be a principal vocalist for A Theatrical Symphony performing music theatre’s greatest hits with a 32 piece orchestra at The National Theatre, and will also perform as Fiona in UMMTA's May production of Shrek The Musical. Cassandra is an accomplished musician, trained across tuba and trumpet, and loves to explore the storytelling capacities of music and the voice through her involvement in composition and contemporary performance, in fusion jazz projects such as CASSclub and Girls Night In. Outside of performance, Cassandra enjoys work as a singing teacher and within production and creative teams, including vocal + music direction in community and amateur theatre, with her personal focus on making performance and music accessible, inclusive and equitable for all.