Frédérique Vézina
Encyclopedia
Frédérique Vézina is a Canadian operatic soprano
who has established herself in both the United States and Canada as an artist of note.
Born in Quebec and a graduate of Vanier College
, Vézina gained recognition when she made her Canadian Opera Company
debut to great acclaim in 2002/03 as Lisa and Mascha in The Queen of Spades
. Critics hailed the arrival of a major presence on the operatic stage. Everett Green in the Globe and Mail praised her " big Act III aria" as "eloquent testimony to the character's own addiction to emotional gambling".. She was also featured as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes
and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas
.
A Metropolitan Opera semi-finalist in 2004 and a winner in the Début Young Artists Competition, Ms. Vézina completed a Bachelor of Music Degree at the Schulich School of Music
of McGill University
which is now called the Schulich or SSM. She received first prize in three consecutive years at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition (NATS) and was also awarded the ‘Most Promising Singer’ prize. In 2002, at the Trois-Rivières Symphony competition, she was awarded the Grand Prize as well as a recital broadcast on CBC. Ms. Vézina was also the first prize winner at the National Music Festival held in Calgary.
Toronto Star
, September 29, 2002, p. D05.
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
who has established herself in both the United States and Canada as an artist of note.
Born in Quebec and a graduate of Vanier College
Vanier College
Vanier College is an English-language public college located in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada. It was founded in 1970 as the second English-language public college of Quebec's public college system...
, Vézina gained recognition when she made her Canadian Opera Company
Canadian Opera Company
The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until...
debut to great acclaim in 2002/03 as Lisa and Mascha in The Queen of Spades
The Queen of Spades (opera)
The Queen of Spades, Op. 68 is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to a Russian libretto by the composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky, based on a short story of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. The premiere took place in 1890 in St...
. Critics hailed the arrival of a major presence on the operatic stage. Everett Green in the Globe and Mail praised her " big Act III aria" as "eloquent testimony to the character's own addiction to emotional gambling".. She was also featured as Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes
Peter Grimes is an opera by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto adapted by Montagu Slater from the Peter Grimes section of George Crabbe's poem The Borough...
and Belinda in Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas
Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate. The first known performance was at Josias Priest's girls' school in London no later than the summer of 1688. The story is based on Book IV of Virgil's Aeneid...
.
A Metropolitan Opera semi-finalist in 2004 and a winner in the Début Young Artists Competition, Ms. Vézina completed a Bachelor of Music Degree at the Schulich School of Music
Schulich School of Music
The Schulich School of Music is one of the constituent faculties of McGill University in Montréal, Canada. The faculty was named after benefactor Seymour Schulich.-History:Music at McGill – The Beginning...
of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
which is now called the Schulich or SSM. She received first prize in three consecutive years at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition (NATS) and was also awarded the ‘Most Promising Singer’ prize. In 2002, at the Trois-Rivières Symphony competition, she was awarded the Grand Prize as well as a recital broadcast on CBC. Ms. Vézina was also the first prize winner at the National Music Festival held in Calgary.
External links
Frédérique VézinaQuotes
- "Frédérique Vézina, escalated from the supporting role to the co-starring role of Lisa, performed as impressively as if she had been engaged for the role in the first place."
Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, September 29, 2002, p. D05.