Critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier distinguishes herself on international opera stages with her rich voice, masterful musicality and stupendous stage presence. Since her debuts in Sydney where her Charlotte (Werther) was hailed as “a magnificent performance, emotionally mature and vocally virtuosic" (The Australian), she has appeared in the world's greatest opera houses.
The 2010-2011 season will bring exciting first performances for Michèle at the San Francisco Opera as Cherubino, the Opéra-Comique in Paris as Cendrillon's Prince (Massenet), the Teatro Municipal in Santiago, Chile, as Komponist in Ariadne auf Naxos and in various cities in Europe with Marc Minkowski and the Musiciens du Louvre in concert performances of Alcina in the role of Ruggiero. She will also return to her home town of Montreal in the New Year to sing Werther's Charlotte.
In the following seasons, Ms. Losier will make her debuts at the Royal Opera House in London, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and at the Salzburg Festival in Austria. She will also return to the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Michèle was a Laureate at the 2008 Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Competition where she was described as nothing less than a “revelation” (Le Soir). Following her success, she recorded the Chansons of Henri Duparc with pianist Daniel Blumenthal. The CD was released in Bruxelles in April 2009 on the Fuga Libera label, and a recital tour throughout Europe under the auspices of Fortis Bank followed.
Michèle’s recents engagements have included Dorabella at the Arizona Opera, Mercedes at Teatro alla Scala, Donna Elvira at the Palm Beach Opera, Cherubino at the Washington Opera, Wellgunde and Grimgerde in Wagner's Ring at the Seattle Opera, Niklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Boston Lyric Opera, Diane in Iphigénie at the Seattle Opera and Lazuli in L'Étoile at the Opéra de Montréal. Laureate at the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 2005, she made her debut in the fall of 2007 in this prestigious American opera house, performing the role of Diane in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, under the baton of Louis Langrée.
In concert, she has sung a creation from Gilles Tremblay with Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kent Nagano, Beethoven's 9th Symphony with the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder in Belgium, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle in Montreal, Mozart's Requiem with Les Violons du Roy on their U.S. tour, and has given performances at the May Festival in Cincinnati under the baton of James Conlon. She also gave a recital during the Festival of Lanaudière in July 2008.
In addition to the roles previously mentioned, her operatic repertoire includes various characters such as Mrs. Grose (The Turn of the Screw), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Concepcion (L’Heure Espagnole), L'Enfant (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges), Stefano (Roméo et Juliette), Siebel (Faust), Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) and Dido (Dido and Aeneas). She distinguishes herself in the sacred works of Rossini, Vivaldi, Handel, Dvořák, and Bach, and in recitals in the masterpieces from the lied and song repertoire, from early music to contemporary works.
An alumnus of McGill University, Michèle Losier was also a member of the San Francisco Opera's Merola Program, the Opéra de Montréal's Atelier Lyrique and the Juilliard Opera Center in New York. She has been the recipient of a number of grants and scholarships, including those from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation, the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Sylva-Gelber Foundation. She is a First Prize winner at the Journées de la Musique Française in 2000, the Vocal Division of the Canadian Music Competition in 2001, and of the Mélodie Française category of the Chant de Marmande International Competition in France.
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