Chantal Lambert, Monique Pagé, Chantal Dionne, Florence Bourget, Catherine St-Arnaud, Marianne Lambert
Biography Chantal Lambert, Monique Pagé, Chantal Dionne, Florence Bourget, Catherine St-Arnaud, Marianne Lambert
Chantal Lambert
Born in Montreal, soprano Chantal Lambert is the recipient of a unanimous “Premier Prix” from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, under the mentorship of tenor André Turp, pianist-vocal coach Janine Lachance, and stage director Roland Laroche. Following an internship at the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, she assumed the leadership of the program in 1990 and has remained loyal to it for more than thirty years.
At the same time, Chantal Lambert has continued to appear on stage in operas and operettas, as well as performing mélodies and songs. Her repertoires are both varied and vast, ranging from early music to new works. She made her professional debut in the role of Métella (La Vie parisienne) with Les Nouvelles Variétés Lyriques. She has appeared in 16 productions at the Opéra de Montréal, performed on several tours with the Orchestre Métropolitain, and worked with I Musici and the Orchestre baroque de Montréal; since the turn of the century, she has mainly devoted herself to recitals. She is also part of the Lune Rouge collective, collaborating on the libretto for Albertine en cinq temps – l’Opéra—after the work by Michel Tremblay, set to music by Catherine Major—in which she performs the role of Albertine at age 70.
Chantal Lambert has made the imparting of the operatic art form a pillar of her professional path. Her vocation as an educator is based on a real commitment to the development of human potential. In May 2016, she was inducted into the Canadian Opera Hall of Fame.
As an ambassador for opera, Chantal Lambert takes part in its development and contributes to its ongoing longevity. She was the Chair of the Conseil québécois de la musique from 2008 to 2011 and she sits on the board of directors of the AOC (Association for Opera in Canada). She is the author of a linguistics book, Petit lexique de l’Opéra (français, anglais, italien et allemand), published by Presses universitaires européennes.
Monique Pagé
Born in Québec, the gifted soprano Monique Pagé shines among Canada’s brightest voices to appear both on the operatic and concert stage. Her refined musicality, sensitivity and natural scenic ability all contribute to making her an impressive artist. «The singing and acting… is outstanding. Pagé showed plenty of dramatic flair to go with a soaring soprano voice.» (La Bohème review– Ottawa Sun)
Over the last twenty years, Monique has distinguished herself in important roles in the operatic repertoire, including: Violetta (La Traviata), Mimi (La Bohème), Marguerite (Faust), La Contessa Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Alcina (Alcina), Micaëla (Carmen), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte), Elle (La Voix Humaine), Lia (L’Enfant Prodigue), Susanna (Il Segreto di Susanna), Aloès (L’Étoile), Gabrielle (La Vie Parisienne) on the mainstage of Opéra de Montréal, Opéra de Québec, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Opera Calgary, Vancouver Opera, Manitoba Opera, Edmonton Opera. Monique made her european debut to critical acclaim in Henri Rabaud’s L’appel de la Mer with l’Opéra de Nancy and Lorraine, and also gave recitals in Paris, Bordeaux, Moscow, as well as in Middle-East and Turkey.
Monique Pagé also enjoys a varied concert and oratorio repertoire and has appeared with many renowned ensembles and orchestras such as Les Violons du Roy, Le Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the National Art Center Symphony in Ottawa, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, I Musici, Appassionata, La Sinfonia de Lanaudière, Compagnie Chants Libres, New Brunswick Symphony, McGill Chamber Orchestra, among others.
Monique Pagé was awarded several prizes and honors, including the Prix Raoul-Jobin, the Prix John-Newmark, the Diana-Soviero Award, the Prix Joseph-Rouleau (Prix des Jeunesses Musicales du Canada) and Prix de Scène du Gala d’Excellence des Arts et de la Culture, in 1997 and 1999. A proud member of the Young Artists Program of L’Opéra de Montréal (L’Atelier Lyrique de l’OdM) Monique was also a grant recipient from the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec and from the Conseil des Arts du Canada.
Chantal Dionne
Prizewinner at the Montreal International Music Competition in 2005, the Canadian soprano distinguished herself in Italy the same year winning 1st prize, the public prize and the best foreign singer at the 56th Gian Battista Viotti International Competition.
Recent performances for the soprano include Verdi’s Requiem and also Brahms’s Requiem in Montreal and in Ottawa. She also sang the soprano solo in the oratorio Elijah by Mendelssohn as well as in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra – the reviewer wrote : « From the Kyrie to the Agnus Dei, the canadian soprano demonstrated agility and remarkable vocal sensibility. »
In Europe, she sang the soprano solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for the Association Artistique des Concerts Colonne in Paris.
Her first recording of Rachmaninoff and Liszt songs entitled « Romances » with the pianist Louise-Andrée Baril has received international acclaim.
Whether in concert or recital, Ms. Dionne demonstrates her vocal abilities in repertoire ranging from songs to lieder and opera to oratorio. She has performed with many symphony orchestras such as Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitain Orchestra, Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra, New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta del Nuevo Mundo (Mexico), Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Teatro Regio de Turin Orchestra.
At the opera, Ms. Dionne has received much acclaim for her performances in roles such as Micaëla in Carmen by Bizet (France), as Pamina in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart (Vienna), of Véronique in Véronique by Messager (France), of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni by Mozart (Italy) and Marguerite in Faust by Gounod (U.S.). Closer to home, we heard the soprano in the title role of Adina in Donizetti’s Elisir d’amore, a Flower Girl in Wagner’s opera Parsifal under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Festival Lanaudière as well as the role of Françoise in the lyric version of André Gagnon’s Nelligan at the Opéra de Québec. The reviewer wrote about her performance « she plays her role to perfection, the voice is powerful and she brings a touch of emotion to this dramatic piece ».
Upcoming Montreal performances include Bruckner’s Mass No.3 and Beethonven’s Fantasia Op. 80 with the Montreal Philharmonic Orchestra in spring of 2019.
Florence Bourget
Canadian Montreal based mezzo-soprano Florence Bourget holds a Master’s degree (with honours) from Université de Montréal and is an alum of the Atelier lyrique of Opéra de Montréal. She has performed roles such as Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart), TheThird Lady (Die Zauberflöte, Mozart), Wellgunde (Das Rheingold, Wagner), Mrs. Grose (The Turn of the Screw, Britten) and Alisa (Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti). Her Experience also includes contemporary repertoire such as Angel 2 in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at Opéra de Montréal and the creation of the opera Albertine en cinq temps from Michel Tremblay’s text. In addition to the operatic stage, Florence is frequently seen on the concert and oratorio stages with prestigious organisations including Orchestre Métropolitain, Symphonic Orchestras of Montréal, Québec and Laval, L’Orchestre de chambre IMusici, the Baroque ensemble Arion, the Festival Classica, The Grands Ballets Canadiens and the Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal.
Catherine St-Arnaud
is an emerging Canadian artist known for her brilliant timbre and colourful interpretations. The First Prize winner of the Voice category at the Prix d’Europe, Catherine has earned accolades from several national and international competitions, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Manulife Competition and the Festival International de Lamèque Competition. Catherine was also named a regional at the prestigious Metropolitan Opera New England National Council Auditions and a Jeune Ambassadeur Lyrique by the Théâtre Lyrichorégra L20, where she was awarded the Québec-Bavières prize.
A versatile artist, Catherine’s voice shines performing styles from bel canto to baroque repertoire. She has been featured as a soloist with a number of ensembles, festivals, and orchestras, including the Orchestre Métropolitain, Štátna filharmónia Košice in Slovakia, the Idées Heureuses, Clavecin en Concert, Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Montréal Bach Festival, Montréal Baroque Festival, Société d’art vocal de Montréal, and the Fondation Arte Musica. Catherine has performed the role of Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro) and Lucia (Lucia di Lamermoor) with Jeunesses musicales du Canada and Festival d'opéra de Québec.
This past season, Catherine debuted with l’Opéra de Québec in October as Adina in their production of Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’amore, and with Grands Ballets Canadiens their revised Nutcracker production as the soloist for Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5. The soprano from Launaudière also originated the role of Albertine à 30 ans in the workshop of Albertine en cinq temps, an opera featuring the music of Catherine Major and libretto by Michel Tremblay. Along with this premiere work, she performed as Sophie de Palma in Maria Callas Masterclass (Festival d’opéra de Québec) and the Duchess Altisidore in Boismortier's Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse (Ensemble Caprice).
Season 2022-2023 will also be filled with exciting projects! Catherine St-Arnaud will sing, among other concerts, the soprano solo in Carl Orff's famous Carmina Burana along with the Oregon Symphony Orchestra in Portland (USA), Albertine à 30 ans in Albertine en cinq temps at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert in Montreal and on a tour in many cities in the province, Haydn's Creation, and in September, works by Charpentier with Clavecin en concert conducted by Hervé Niquet.
Marianne Lambert
She has shone in the roles of the Fairy Godmother in Massenet’s Cendrillon (Opéra de Nantes, Opéra d’Angers and Opéra de Montréal), Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto (Opéra de Rennes), Stella in Offenbach’s La Fille du tambour-major (Société d’art Lyrique du Royaume), Adèle in Strauss’s die Fledermaus (Opéra de Montréal and Opéra de Québec), Woglinde in Wagner’s das Rheingold (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal with Maestro Kent Nagano), Clorinda in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Pasic Opera Victoria), Mlle Silberklang in Mozart’s der Schauspieldirektor (Opéra de Rennes), and Marie-Anne in Hahn’s Ô mon bel inconnu (Opéra de Rennes and Opéra de Metz).
Former member of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, Marianne was a guest soloist of these prestigious orchestras: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre Métropolitain, McGill Chamber Orchestra, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, and Orchestre symphonique de la Grande-Bretagne.
Her future projects include, among other things, the release of the CD Canzone di notte with the harpist Valérie accompanied by a tour of recitals, a tour of the Jealous Lover with Valérie Milot (harp) and Mathieu Lussier (bassoon), a tour of the recitals Passing Melodies with the pianist Julien LeBlanc as well as the role of Madeleine in Albertine in five times by Michel Tremblay at the Rideau Vert under the musical direction of Catherine Major.
