Cincinnati Opera Debut
The Bonze, Madame Butterfly
Raimondo (Raymond), Lucia di Lammermoor
How many times have you previously performed the roles?
The Bonze—once in Montreal. Raimondo—debut.
What is your hometown?
Matane, a small coastal town between Quebec City and Gaspé, Québec, Canada.
Where do you currently reside?
Toronto.
What is your favorite opera and why?
I have a few favorites actually, but here are my top two choices:
1. Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy. Arkel is just a fabulous bass role to sing and a deep and complex character to play. The King Arkel is a wise man, a loving and spiritual father and grandfather with a strong sense of authority and duty. Every single one of his lines reveals some truth about life, love, loss, and sorrow, and speaks volume about the complexity of the human soul and the voyage between life and death. It is a deeply emotional part to sing and play. I love it!
2. Bluebeard's Castle by Bartok. This is a masterpiece of musical drama! I love the tension, the orchestration, the complex relationships, and the meaty role of Bluebeard. Bartok takes us on an exciting journey! I dream of singing this role in a few years.
What is your favorite role you have sung and why?
1. Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy. It was a turning point in my life. It was the first bass role in my repertoire that gave me the opportunity to show vulnerability and deep compassion, as well as strength and authority. A complete picture! It made my voice grow as well and gave me the chance to explore different vocal colours.
2. Seneca in The Coronation of Poppea by Monteverdi. Again, a wise, passionate fellow. He has some kind of a manipulative mind as the philosopher and counselor to Ottavia and Nerone. His emotional and vocal range is wide and great for a basso profundo. His two monologues and his confrontation with Nerone are to die for, with amazing verses and low notes galore. It is a paradise of a role for a bass who has the low Ds and Cs.
3. Sparafucile in Rigoletto by Verdi. What a great bad guy to sing! Beautiful vocal lines, the possiblity to create a pretty complex character, and for sure, the famous low F that, if held long enough, creates this lingering feeling of threat in the hall and brings the public to a generous wave of applause. I really liked the complexity of his relationship with his sister Maddalena as well. Fun!
Where did you make your professional debut?
At L'Opéra de Montréal in a stunning new production of Fedora by Giordano. It was the fall of 1995, and I sang the role of Boroff.
Do you have professional recordings or DVDs?
1. Lully's Persée - Live performance on DVD with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Toronto Opera Atelier (EuroArts).
2. Don Giovanni Unmasked - Movie on DVD (Rhombus Media) and sountrack on CD (CBC Records) with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.
3. Harry Somers' opera Serinette on CD (Centrediscs Records).
What is the funniest thing that has happened to you during your career?
In 1996, on tour around Canada with The Barber of Seville by Rossini, the set fell behind me while I was singing the phrase "Servitor di tutti quanti!" as Basilio during the famous quintet of Act II. My umbrella, a common Basilio prop, had gotten caught in the doorframe as I was walking in Dr. Bartolo's house. So, still in character, I went on with my singing while pulling the "made-out-of-painted-fabric-and-lumber" wall of the house back to its place. The public laughed so hard for the whole quintet that we could barely hear ourselves singing! I for sure didn't miss out on making an impression that day!
Are there other jobs you have had in addition to singing?
I was trained as a pianist in university before taking on my vocal training. For many years, I played and made a living as an accompanist for instrumentalists and singers.
If you weren't an opera singer, what would be your dream job?
I would like to run a small opera company and produce really edgy, revisited productions of Monteverdi, Handel, Mozart, Menotti, etc...with young, vibrant, risk-taking singer-actors. I would love to explore with the art form and expand the artists' expressive possibilities by introducing visual arts, modern dance, and multi-media to the concept.
Do you sing other styles of music besides opera?
I sang jazz in a professional vocal quartet for a few years while still in Music School. We were accompanied by a huge big band. We were quite active at one point in the recording studio, producing jingles for a wide array of commercial products.
What are your hobbies?
Renovations! I mostly rebuilt and refinished my house from inside-out. It is an ongoing passion and another creative outlet for me.
What is your greatest achievement?
The way I found happiness, balance, joy, fulfillment, and tremendous passion in a career that is extremely stressful, demanding, uncertain, and oh-so-challenging some days!
What is something few people know about you?
I cherish the dream of owning a summer home on the ocean in Métis-sur-Mer, a gem of a small coastal town, about an hour drive from my hometown, Matane. This small, late 19th-century season English town in the middle of French Quebec is sensational! I would love to retire there absolutely! Listening to the crashing waves, breathing the salty air, listening to the seagull's song—that is the beauty of my homeland! The love for the ocean will always by present in me—it is in my cells and in my blood. Life wouldn't be complete without that neverending horizon to contemplate, meditate and dream about.
