Celebrated for her warm, expressive voice and dramatic immediacy, soprano Frédérique Vézina has earned acclaim on concert and opera stages in Canada and internationally. After completing her Voice Studies at McGill University in Montreal, she joined the prestigious Canadian Opera Company's Ensemble Studio in 2002. This led to her becoming a member of the Juilliard Opera Centre at the world-renowned Juilliard School in New York. Her experiences working with eminent mentors in opera, art song, and stagecraft deeply inform her teaching today.
Over the course of her performing career, Frédérique Vézina brought to life a wide array of leading roles, including Mimì (La Bohème), Tatyana (Eugene Onegin), Ellen Orford (Peter Grimes), the Countess (Le nozze di Figaro), Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Micaëla (Carmen), the Governess (The Turn of the Screw), Wellgunde (Das Rheingold), and Hanna Glawari (The Merry Widow). A defining moment in her career came in 2010 when she created the title role in the world premiere of John Estacio's Lillian Alling.
Throughout this journey, she had the privilege of collaborating with distinguished conductors such as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, James Conlon, Hans Fricke, Jacques Lacombe, Kent Nagano, Bernard Labadie, and Richard Bradshaw, among others.
Today, Frédérique Vézina is passionate about sharing her knowledge and experience with the next generation of singers. Since 2010, she has been an esteemed educator, first at Western University and, since 2013, at the University of Toronto, where she is a valued member of the voice faculty. In addition, she serves as co-director of the France-Canada Academy of Vocal Arts, which runs in Toronto (Canada) and Tours (France) each year. She frequently offers masterclasses and serves as an adjudicator for music festivals and competitions.
Her teaching philosophy centers on cultivating a deep awareness of the body as the singer's instrument, providing students with the autonomy and technical mastery to support their artistic expression. In addition, her work with singers strives to develop profound and meaningful expressivity rooted in the intimate personalization of text and character.
Frédérique Vézina also contributes to Opera Canada from time to time, sharing her insights on the art form she loves. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys supporting her children in their various endeavors and hosting memorable gatherings with friends.
Forest Hill United Church - Fireside Room
121 Westmount Rd. E.
Kitchener, ON N2M 4Y6
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:9:00 AM | Name:Kathleen Fitzgerald | Titles: Si, mi chiamano Mimì, La bohème by Giacomo Puccini Vilja-Lied, Die lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow) by Franz Lehár | Home Festival:Oakville |
Time:9:15 AM | Name:Yitao Sun | Titles: Batti, batti, o bel Masetto, Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Mozart Morning in the Big Forest by Peidong Xu | Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis |
Time:9:30 AM | Name:David Micalef | Titles: Je crois entendre encore, Les Pêcheurs de Perles by Georges Bizet Che Gelida Manina, La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini | Home Festival:Guelph |
Time:9:45 AM | Name:Anna Lehn | Titles: Les Berceaux by Gabriel Fauré Waldesgesprache by Robert Schumann | Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis |
Time:9:55 AM | Name:Eleanor Gummer | Titles: Per la gloria d'adorarvi, Griselda by Giovanni Bononcini The Crucifixion, op. 29 by Samuel Barber | Home Festival:Pickering GTA |
Time:10:05 AM | Name:Rebecca Campbell | Titles: Vieille Chanson by Georges Bizet Ma rendi pur contento by Vincenzo Bellini | Home Festival:Pickering GTA |
Time:10:20 AM | Name:Olukemi Atawo | Titles: Schmerzen, Wesendonk Lieder by Richard Wagner Ebben! Ne andrò lontana, La Wally by Alfredo Catalani | Home Festival:North York Live |
Time:10:35 AM | Name:Sheila Gill | Titles: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion" , Messiah Part 1, No. 18 by George F. Handel "L'amero, saro costante", Il re pastore, K. 208 (Act 2) by Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:10:55 AM | Name:Kendra Fredette | Titles: Hark! The Echoing Air, The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell Ridente la calma K 152 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:11:10 AM | Name:Lindsay Kerton | Titles: An Die Musik, op. 88, no. 4 by Franz Schubert Reward by John Jacob Niles | Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo |
Time:11:20 AM | Name:Lori Aginian | Titles: Mi tradi quell'alma ingrata, Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Ne poi krasavitsa, Six Romances by Sergei Rachmaninov | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:11:35 AM | Name:Angela Stoita | Titles: Lascia ch’io pianga, Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel Vedrai Carino, Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Home Festival:IMFC |
Time:11:50 AM | Name:Leeka Olena Parra | Titles: Azucena's Song "Stride la Vampa", Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi The Dusty Miller, 19 Songs to R. Burns Poems, #9 by Roman Aizenshtat, poem by Robert Burns | Home Festival:Unionville |
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:1:00 PM | Name:Xing Li | Titles: Rivolgete a lui lo sguardo, K. 584 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Children of the Sun (太阳的儿子) by Liangzhen Zhu (朱良镇) | Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis |
Time:1:15 PM | Name:Lola Hu | Titles: Laurie's Song, The Tender Land by Aaron Copland An Chloe, K 524 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Home Festival:North York Live |
Time:1:30 PM | Name:Paula Bartokova | Titles: Gloria, RV 589 , Domine Deus, Rex coelestis by Antonio Vivaldi Gypsy Songs, op.55, IV. (4) Songs My Mother Taught Me by Antonín Dvořak | Home Festival:Peel |
Time:1:45 PM | Name:Daren Lin | Titles: Gioite al canto mio, Euridice by Jacopo Peri, arr. Patrick M. Liebergen Recitativo: Studia il passo and Aria: Come dal ciel precipita, Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi | Home Festival:Guelph |
Workshop will be held from approximately 2:15 pm to 3:30 pm.
Announcement of winners will happen at the end of the workshop.