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In 2000, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux became the first Canadian to win the First Prize and the Special Prize for Lieder at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium. Winning these prestigious awards opened the door to an immediate international career, allowing her to perform in recital and in concert with the world's greatest orchestras.
On stage, she performs works of Beethoven, Berlioz, Debussy, Gluck, Händel, Haydn, Honegger, Koechlin, Mahler, Monteverdi, Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Vivaldi and Wagner as well as masterpieces from the French repertoire. She sings regularly in the greatest theaters in the world: Berlin and Vienna Staatsopers; Amsterdam Concertgebouw; Paris Théâtre des Champs Élysées; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; Brussels' Théâtre de la Monnaie; Munich Staastoper; London Covent Garden; and under the direction of the greatest conductors, such as: Alan Curtis, Fabien Gabel, Daniele Gatti, Pavo Järvi, Bernard Labadie, Kurt Masur, Kent Nagano, Antonio Pappano, Jean-Christophe Spinosi and Yoav Talmi. Some of her most remarkable interpretations include the colorful « Mrs Quickly » in Verdi's Falstaff; her amazing « Orlando », in Vivaldi's Orlando Furioso; and the title role in Händel's Giulio Cesare. She also shines regularly in Verdi's Requiem and recently, she personified a memorable « Isabella » in the mind-blowing production of Rossini's L'Italienne à Alger, at Opéra de Lorraine (Nancy, France). She will make her debut at the famous Scala in Milan in 2013. She has recorded for numerous labels before signing an exclusive contract with the French label NAÏVE, for which she recorded more than ten discs, including Griselda, Orlando Furioso and her first recital CD, the critically-acclaimed L'Heure exquise, a collection of French art songs with piano. Her solo CD, Ne me refuse pas, released in 2010, received rave reviews and received the "Best International solo Recording" award from the prestigious Académie Charles Cros (France). Streams of Pleasure, a duo with soprano Karina Gauvin and Il Complesso Barocco, under Alan Curtis, has also had great success worldwide. One of her most recent CDs, Opera Arias – Gluck Haydn Mozart, recorded with Les Violons du Roy under Bernard Labadie, confirms the talent and the undeniable qualities of this essential artist of the lyric scene. Her last one, Handel Giulio Cesare, with Il Complesso Barocco conducted by Alan Curtis, has been released in November 2012. Marie-Nicole Lemieux became a Doctor Honoris Causa of Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, in Spring 2011 and Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade, in 2012. © Marie-Nicole Lemieux |
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