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Michèle Losier

Michèle Losier
Courtesy of IMG Artists

Mezzo-soprano

Critically acclaimed mezzo-soprano Michèle Losier distinguishes herself on international opera stages with her rich voice, masterful musicality and stupendous stage presence. Recently hailed at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for her “great presence“and “brassy voice“ combined in an “impressive Medea“, she appears in the world’s greatest opera houses. The active 201415 season included appearances as Phoebe in Castor et Pollux at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Frank Martin’s Die Weise von Liebe undTod des Cornets Christoph Rike at the la Monnaie and Ascanio in Benvenuto Cellini with De Nederlandse Opera. Having recently completed an engagement with the Orchestra Symphonique de Montréal in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and Bizet’s Carmen.

Her operatic engagements continued throughout the 201516 season in performances of Carmen at the Royal Opera House in which she played the role of Mercedes as well as recording and performing Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliette with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. She travelled to Belgium in the spring of 2016 for performances of Berlioz’s Béatrice et Bénédicte at La Monnaie.

The season 2016-17 will see Losier perform in the roles of Dorabella in OperaNational de Paris production of Cosi fan tutte. She will also sing in Damnation de Faust with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and at the Edinburgh Festival later in the season.

Her concert engagements will include Missa Solemnis with the Melbourne Symphony under the baton of Andrew Davies and a participation at the Aids Gala 2017, the 8th Festive Opera Gala in Support of the German Aids Foundation in Düsseldorf.

Recent successes include her appearances as Medea (Charpentier) at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and Lille Opera, Prince Charmant at Opéra-Comique, Nicklausse and the Muse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) in concert at Salle Pleyel in Paris and at Teatre del Liceu, Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte) at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, at the Royal Opera House and at the Salzburg Festival, Siebel (Faust) at the Royal Opera House and at the Metropolitan Opera, Charlotte (Werther) at Sydney Opera and Opéra de Montréal, Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) at San Francisco Opera and at Washington National Opera, and as Ruggiero (Alcina) in concert under the baton of Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre.

The artist’s achievement at the Metropolitan Opera Auditions in 2005 led to her house debut in 2007 as Diane (Iphigénie en Tauride), under the baton of Louis Langrée, alongside Susan Graham and Placido Domingo. Her success at the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Competition in 2008 won her a recital tour of Europe and a recording of the Chansons of Henri Duparc with pianist Daniel Blumenthal, released in April 2009 on the Fuga Libera label. In concert, her projects have included Berlioz’s l’Enfance du Christ and a creation from Gilles Tremblay with Montreal Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Kent Nagano, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Montreal Metropolitan Orchestra, where she will return in 2016 with a programme including Ravel’s Shéhérazade a work she has previously performed in Doha with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Berlioz’s Nuits d’Été in Ohio with the Colombus 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, she also appears regularly at the Festival of Lanaudière in Quebec most summers.

Other appearances include Nicklausse at Boston Lyric Opera, Wellgunde (Das Rhinegold, Götterdämmerung), Grimgerde (Die Walküre) and Diane (Iphigénie) at Seattle Opera, Dorabella at Arizona Opera, Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at Palm Beach Opera, Suzuki (Madama Butterfly) at Pacific Opera, as well as Mrs Grose (The Turn of the Screw), Lazuli (L’Étoile) and Mercedes (Carmen) at Opéra de Montréal, a role in which she also made her debut at Teatro alla Scala. She also distinguishes herself in the sacred works of Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Vivaldi, Handel, Dvorák and Bach, and in recitals in the masterpieces from the lied and song repertoire. Since her debut in 2002 at Opéra d’Avignon as Dorabella, Michèle has sung with prestigious conductors such as Louis Langrée, Patrick Fourmilier, Emmanuel Plasson, Marc Minkowski, Jérémie Rhorer, Stephane Denève, Emmanuelle Haïm, Sir Andrew Davis, Sir Mark Elder, Sir Colin Davis, Nicola Luisetti, Daniel Barenboim, Evelino Pido, Placido Domingo, James Conlon and Yannick Nézet-Séguin. 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.

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