Romanian-born British soprano Simona Mihai studied at the Royal College of Music, where she attended the Benjamin Britten International Opera School, and the European Opera Centre. She returned to the RCM as a Rosemary Budgen Junior Fellow and as a David Bowerman Junior Fellow. She is a former Jette Parker Young Artist (2008–10), where roles included Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas) and Poussette (Manon), and has since returned to The Royal Opera for Frasquita (Carmen), Poussette (Manon), Mimì and Musetta (La bohème) and Nedda (Pagliacci). Engagements elsewhere include Despina (Così fan tutte) for Glyndebourne on Tour, Adina (L’elisir d’amore) for Salzburg Landestheater, Servilia (La clemenza di Tito) for the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Second Niece (Peter Grimes) and Poussette (Manon) for La Scala, Milan, Nedda (Pagliacci) for La Monnaie, Brussels, Agnès Sorel (Die Jungfrau von Orleans) for Theater an der Wien, Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro) for The Grange Festival, Giulietta (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) for Bayerische Staatsoper and the title role in Manon for Israeli Opera.