Mezzo soprano Lauren Segal – the only Canadian chosen to participate in the inaugural Salzburg Festival Young Artist Project – has established herself as a vibrant presence in both the opera and concert worlds. Critics praise her tone for its "gleaming, luscious timbre" (La Scena Musicale) and her operatic interpretations as "absolutely sensational" (Paula Citron), "spectacular" (The Toronto Star) and "alluring, sexy, her voice rich in nuance" (Opera Magazine). Projects for the 2014-2015 season include FALSTAFF (Meg Page) for the Canadian Opera Company, IL TRAMONTO (Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal), MADAMA BUTTERLY (Suzuki) and RIGOLETTO (Maddalena) for Opera Tampa, MESSIAH for the Edmonton Symphony and a recital tour of the Maritime Provinces for Debut Atlantic. This past season included Mozart's KRÖNUNGSMESSE with the Toronto Symphony, Suzuki in MADAMA BUTTERFLY with Calgary Opera, Meg Page in FALSTAFF with l'Opéra de Montréal, l'Opéra de Québec's Opera Gala, Bach's JOHANNES PASSION with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, the title role in DIDO AND AENEAS for Festival of the Sound and the Westben Festival, Dvorak's REQUIEM for Chorus Niagara and Mahler's LIEDER EINES FAHRENDEN GESELLEN with the Niagara Symphony.

Further highlights include Maddalena in RIGOLETTO for both Manitoba Opera and Opera Hamilton, Nicklausse/Muse/Voix in Edmonton Opera's LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN, Métella in LA VIE PARISIENNE for Toronto Operetta Theatre, the title role of CARMEN for Saskatoon Opera, and the Alto in Janacek's DIARY OF ONE WHO DISAPPEARED with the avant-garde company, Against the Grain Theatre. She was heard in concert with Off Centre Music, the Canadian Art Song Project, and in ELIJAH with the Richard Eaton Singers.

An alumna of the Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio, she was seen at the Four Seasons Centre as Nicklausse/Muse in LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN and in roles such as Mercedes in CARMEN, Siébel in FAUST, Aljeja in Janáček's FROM THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD, Sonya in Prokovief's WAR AND PEACE, Nancy T'sang in Adams' NIXON IN CHINA, Dryade in Strauss' ARIADNE AUF NAXOS, Popova in Walton's THE BEAR, and Third Lady in Mozart's THE MAGIC FLUTE. Further credits include Maddalena in RIGOLETTO for l'Opéra de Montréal, Dorabella in COSI FAN TUTTE for Pacific Opera Victoria, Rosina in IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA and Orlovsky in DIE FLEDERMAUS for Opera Hamilton, Suzuki in MADAMA BUTTERFLY with Manitoba Opera and Opera Hamilton and Agnese in Bellini's BEATRICE DI TENDA, Fenena in NABUCCO and Smeton in ANNA BOLENA with Toronto's VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert. Ms. Segal covered the role of Carmen in Bari's production conducted by Lorin Maazel.

In demand as a concert artist, she has sung ELIJAH with Nézet-Séguin and l'Orchestre Métropolitain, MESSIAH with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, the Vancouver Bach Choir and the Victoria Symphony and Beethoven's SYMPHONY No. 9 for the Windsor Symphony. She sang at the Westben Festival in Schumann's FRAUENLIEBE UND LEBEN, in recitals for FestiVoix de Trois-Rivières and the Aldeburgh Connection, and in Opera Galas with the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, l'Opéra de Montréal and Manitoba Opera.

A recipient of two Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions Encouragement Awards, Ms Segal was born in South Africa, and holds a Master's of Science degree from the Department of Physics at the University of Toronto.