Alexandra Hope Watson as Lolo (Lead Grisette)

Alexandra Hope Watson is a British-New Zealand composer, lyricist, arranger and performer specialising in music for theatre. She is currently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at the University of Canterbury, following a Master of Arts with Distinction in Performance and Composition, a Bachelor of Music in Classical Performance, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.

In 2023, Alexandra received funding from Creative New Zealand's Early Career Fund and won the University of Canterbury Lilburn Composers’ Competition with her original song Tell Me. In 2025, she was awarded the University of Canterbury ‘Outstanding Achievement in the Arts’ Cup, together with the Waimakariri Youth Service Award for her continued work at the North Canterbury Academy of Music.

Her original musicals include A Magical Musical Mystery, which premiered with Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at The Piano, Christchurch, and The First 8, which premiered at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK) in 2025 and was later featured in the Curated Cinema series at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand. She is currently developing CLEO and Our Nightingale, with CLEO and The First 8 being presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2026.

As a performer, Alexandra has sung with the NZ Opera Chorus in Macbeth and Le Comte Ory, the CSO Chorus, and participated in a range of masterclasses. She is delighted to be making her production debut with Toi Toi Opera in The Merry Widow, having performed as a featured soloist in the company’s Great Hall Lunchtime Concert of Puccini & Pucciniana earlier this year.