Marie-Nicole Lemieux

Marie-Nicole Lemieux, born in Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec, in 1975, is one of the world’s leading contraltos, a true contralto with the rich, dark, resonant low voice that is among the rarest in opera. She announced herself internationally in 2000 as the first Canadian to win first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, and has since sung in leading opera houses and festivals, in a repertoire spanning Handel and Vivaldi, French opera, Verdi and the great concert works. Admired for the warmth and dramatic depth of her singing as well as for her vivid stage presence, she was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 2015. Her dusky, expressive instrument is ideally suited to the grieving contralto solo at the heart of Alexander Nevsky.