Elisabeth St-Gelais & Louise Pelletier
Biography Elisabeth St-Gelais & Louise Pelletier
Elisabeth St-Gelais
Named Radio-Canada’s “Révélation” (“discovery”) in classical music for the 2023–24 season, soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais graduated from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in April 2023 with a Master of Music degree in voice and opera. An Innu from the community of Pessamit, she has made sharing her culture part of her mission as an artist. In 2022, Elisabeth received McGill University’s prestigious Wirth Vocal Prize, won the Grand Prize in the 19-30 age group at the Canimex Canadian Music Competition, and was named to the prestigious #CBC30under30 list, recognizing her as a leading Indigenous opera artist under the age of 30. In 2023, she won first prize in the age 26–30 category at the Festival Classival, the Prix d’Europe awarded at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, and first prize and the Audience Choice Award at the Canadian Opera Company’s annual Centre Stage competition. In November 2023, at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, she placed first in the Western Canada District and won the Northwest Regionals Encouragement Award. Elisabeth is also active in her Montreal musical community, and has been a member of the board of directors of the Conseil québécois de la musique since April 2023. She has performed across Canada as a guest of the Canadian Opera Company, the Orchestre de l’Agora, the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal, I Musici, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre symphonique de la Côte-Nord, the Orchestre classique de Montréal, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, Cecilia Concerts, the Festival d’opéra de Québec, and many others. As an Indigenous artist, Elisabeth St-Gelais is committed to the reconciliation of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and a proud representative of her nation, the Innu of the Côte-Nord.
Louise Pelletier
Known for her sensitivity and enthusiasm, Louise Pelletier has led a dynamic and remarkable career as a pianist, accompanist and vocal coach. For over 20 years, Mrs. Pelletier has held the position of accompanist/vocal coach at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music and has often served as a rehearsal pianist for Opera McGill. A faithful and devoted accompanist, she has worked in the voice studios of Bill Neill, Thérèse Savadjian, Winston Purdy, Joanne Kolomyjec, Lucille Evans, Michael Meraw, Yolande Parent, Catherine Sévigny, Marie Daveluy, Sanford Sylvan, Stefano Algieri and Dominique Labelle.
Having a vast knowledge of both recital and operatic repertoire, Louise is often called upon as an official pianist for competitions, auditions for Young Artist programs and various summer training programs. She is an official pianist for the Canadian Music Competition as well as the International Stepping Stone Competition and serves as an official pianist for the Canadian Opera Company auditions in Montreal. She is also regularly hired by the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques to play auditions and gala concerts. She has served as accompanist at the American Institute for Musical Studies (AIMS) in Graz, Austria and for several years been an important part of the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (CVAI) in Montreal, serving as coach and accompanist, alongside Joan Dornemann and many notable teachers from New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Louise has also been the vocal coach and in charge of the scenes program at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s Summer Opera Studio. As a member of the faculty of CCM’s Summer Opera Studio, she has played for the voice classes of William McGraw and Joyce Miller, as well as staging rehearsals for directors Vernon Hartman and Vince Degeorge. Other stage directors she has worked closely with include Renaud Doucet, Patrick Hansen and François Racine. Her close relationship with Maestro Nézet-Séguin was one that first developed over a period of 6 years at the Choeur de Laval, and they then went on together to the Orchestre Métropolitain, where Louise continues to serve as the pianist for the choir.
