mezzo-soprano
Canadian mezzo−soprano Mireille Lebel grew up in Vancouver and studied music at the University of Toronto and the University of Montreal. Following her studies she was awarded major grants by the Canada Council and the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation and furthered her artistic training as a member of the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. In 2009, she was a winner of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Competition that earned her an invitation to join the Ensemble of Theater Erfurt. Throughout her time in the Ensemble, she sang leading roles in the lyric mezzo fach. She is now making critically successful debuts with opera companies and orchestras in Europe and North America.
Mireille Lebel opens her 2017-2018 season with the role of Cherubino/Nozze di Figaro with Opera Atelier where she will return later this season for the role of Penelope/Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria.
She will also sing Siebel for a Faust conducted by Jacques Lacombe in Trois Rivieres and sing Archangel in Théodore Dubois’ Le paradis perdu with conductor Jean-Claude Malgoire and l’Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing.
Last season Mireille makes her role début at Charlotte in Werther at the Opéra Théâtre de Metz, Opéra de Massy, and Opéra de Reims. She makes her house début in the Vancouver Opera’s inaugural festival season as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro. In May she sings the Archangel in Théodore Dubois’ rarity Le paradis perdu with conductor Jean-Claude Malgoire at the Montréal Festival Classica. On the concert platform she sings Bach’s Cantata BWV 206 with the London Bach Society, led by Rodolfo Richter, and an all Vivaldi programme with Ensemble Castor led by Enrico Onofri. She makes return engagements with Jean-Marie Zeitouni and IMusici de Montréal singing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and with the Boston Early Music Festival as Minèrve in Campra’s Le carnaval de Venise.
In the past seasons Mireille sang Handel and Vivaldi Arias with Tafelmusik Orchestra and Rodolfo Richter, Vivaldi arias with Arion Baroque Orchestra and Enrico Onofri, Britten’s cantata Phaedra as well as Bach’s Christmas Oratorio I- III, with IMusici de Montréal and Jean-Marie Zeitouni and the Messiah with the Kansas City Symphony and the Saguenay Symphony Orchestra. She sang the title role in Carmen at the Prague State Opera, the title role in Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice at Theater Erfurt, and made her début at Opéra de Nantes Angers as Ljubica in Ana Sokolovic’s opera Svadba. Mireille returned to Opera Atelier in Toronto to make a role début as Orphée in the Berlioz version of Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, she sang the role of Angela in the world premiere of Hector Parra’s Wilde at the Schwetzinger SWR Festpiele, directed by Calixto Bieito and conducted by Peter Rundel, and made her début at the Festival International d’Aix-en-Provence as Ljubica in Ana Sokolovic’s opera Svadba conducted by Dairine Ni Mheadra and directed by Ted Huffman and Zack Winokur. On the concert platform she sang Handel’s Messiah with The McGill Chamber Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony and L’orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières as well as Bach Cantatas with Les Violons du Roy. In the winter of 2015, the Boston Early Music Festival’s recording of Charpentier’s La descente d’Orphée aux enfers, on which Mireille sings, won the 2015 Grammy for Best Opera Recording.
Press review
Recording: Venus and Adonis, Blow – Boston Early Music Festival
‘BEMF has a strong Canadian connection and the two Canadian soloists – mezzo Mireille Lebel (Cupid) and baritone Tyler Duncan (Adonis) – both acquit themselves with a combination of beautiful sound and superb attention to text.’ the Whole Note
The Indian Queen, Purcell – Theater Basel
‘The singers ranged from good…to excellent: The superb Mireille Lebel as Queen Zempoalla…’ Opera, October 2014
Vanessa, Barber – Opéra Théâtre de Metz
‘Mireille Lebel was a passionate Erika, old before her time’ Opera, August 2014
Mahler 3rd Symphony − New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
‘The fourth movement featured tender, soaring singing from the young mezzo−soprano Mireille Lebel in Mahler’s setting of Nietzsche’s “Midnight Song” from “Also Sprach Zarathustra,”…’New York Times
‘Mezzo− soprano Mireille Lebel handled her part’s understated dark night, with its full lyricism and dramatic regret. Her voice provided the necessary thread of gold woven through the rich garment of this music.’ Asbury Park Press
‘With a fresh, expressive mezzo−soprano, soloist Mireille Lebel brought a quality of youthful discovery to the fourth movement’s text by Nietzche, her tone melding beautifully with hushed strings.’Star−Ledger
La clemenza di Tito, Mozart − Opera Atelier
‘In others roles, amber−voiced Mireille Lebel was especially fine as Annio’ Opera News
’They are all wonderful, but I must single out Lebel for praise − she is the best looking and certainly one of the best sounding Annio I’ve seen. I can see her as a perfect Cherubino, and maybe even Octavian in a few years.’ La Scena Musicale
’An absolute stand−out is mezzo−soprano Mireille Lebel as Annio with her warm, honey−covered voice.’ Paula Citron, Classical 96.3 FM
’Also remarkable was Opera Atelier newcomer, mezzo Mireille Lebel, who dazzled in the trouser role of Annio.’ Toronto Star
’OA likes to re−engage performers who have successfully adopted the company’s intense performance style… Now they can add Mireille Lebel to their roster. She commands the stage absolutely as the impetuous young man, Annio. She was trained in Toronto and Montreal, and has been singing in Erfurt, Germany. Repatriation, please!’ www.concertonet.com
Handel & Vivaldi Arias – Les Violons du Roy
‘Quebec’s Mireille Lebel, a stately mezzo−soprano, was unforgettably regal in her portrayal of Judith as she performed several exuberantly fast solo arias. Her powerful yet emotionally expressive performances, backed by the tight violin section led by Lamon, who is an excellent violinist in her own right, evoked standing ovations.’ The Jewish Tribune
Greenmountain Opera Festival Gala
‘Mezzo−soprano Mireille Lebel not only sang the part of Bizet’s “Carmen,” she was the part. With blazing red hair and a look of real sultriness, to say nothing of an agile and brilliant but rich voice, she delivered the seductive Carmen of the “Seguedille.” As in the opera, Belanger’s Don José, beautiful sounding but none−too−heroic was no match for the worldly Carmen.’Times Argus
Venus and Adonis, Blow − Boston Early Music Early Music Festival
‘Like the hostess of an abnormally talented garden party, Mireille Lebel presided over the gathering, catalyzing action with graceful, long−limbed gestures, and lending her delicious mezzo−soprano to an 8−year−old Cupid’Boston Herald
She had able partners in Mireille Lebel, as an alluring Cupid’ New York Times
Messiah, Handel – Calgary Symphony Orchestra
‘Mezzo−soprano Mireille Lebel made the most of her beautiful arias, her voice captivating and her singing highly expressive. She even got an extra in the rarely heard “How beautiful are the feet,” usually sung by the soprano.’Calgary Herald
Foursome, a new opera by Owen Pallett – Fine Young Classicals Chamber Opera
‘Mireille Lebel, as the Pretty Lady, provided high glamour, spirited singing and a sure gift for comedy.’The Globe and Mail