Education
- Artist Diploma, The Juilliard School
- BMus, McGill University
Biography
Celebrated for her warm voice and sense of dramatic immediacy, Canadian soprano Frédérique Vézina has performed with many opera companies including the Canadian Opera Company, Washington National Opera, and the opera companies of Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and Quebec.
A native of Montreal, Mrs Vézina’s formal studies include a B.Mus from McGill University and post-graduate studies in Opera from The Juilliard School of Music. She is also an alumna of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and Festival International d’Art Lyrique d’Aix-en-Provence. The recipient of a significant Canada Council Career Development Grant in support of her two year residency at The Juilliard School of Music, she is also grateful for the J-B-C Watkins and Bernard-Diamant prizes awarded to her by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Mrs Vézina has collaborated with internationally renowned conductors including Richard Bradshaw, James Conlon, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Hans Fricke, Bernard Labadie, Jacques Lacombe, Kent Nagano, Peter Oundjian, Yoav Talmi, Bramwell Tovey, and Timothy Vernon. She was featured by the Canadian Opera Company as Mimi in LA BOHÈME, Liza in QUEEN OF SPADES, Ellen Orford in PETER GRIMES, as Tatyana in EUGEN ONEGIN for Pacific Opera Victoria, Festival Lanaudière and New Jersey Festival, as Donna Elvira in DON GIOVANNI and Miranda in THE TEMPEST for Pacific Opera Victoria, as the Merry Widow in THE MERRY WIDOW and Micaëla in CARMEN for Opéra de Montréal, as Mimi in LA BOHEME and the title role in the creation and world premiere of LILLIAN ALLING for Vancouver Opera, and Wellgunde in DAS RHEINGOLD for Washington National Opera. She also illustrated herself on the Recital and Oratorio stage throughout her career.
After several years teaching voice at Western University, she is now on the Voice Faculty of the University of Toronto and also serves as adjudicator and master class clinician. Her students have performed with young artist programs and professional opera houses in North America and Europe.