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 - Sanctuary
121 Westmount Rd. E.
Kitchener, ON N2M 4Y6
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:9:50 AM | Name:Cloris Feng | Titles: Es war einmal ein König, op. 75, no. 3 by Ludwig van Beethoven Jardin d'amour by James Frederick Keel | Home Festival:Kitchener-Waterloo |
Time:10:00 AM | Name:Charlotte Kolas | Titles: Come and trip it by George Frederic Handel Van gli effluvi de le rose by Francesco Paolo Tosti | Home Festival:Newmarket |
Time:10:10 AM | Name:Kristen Morley | Titles: Olde Irish Blessing by Linda Fletcher Morning Has Broken, Traditional Gaelic melody by Eleanor Farjeon, arranged by Forrest Kinney | Home Festival:Barrie |
Time:10:20 AM | Name:Aindrea Joy | Titles: The Water Is Wide by Harold Birston Olde Irish Blessing by Linda Fletcher | Home Festival:South Simcoe |
Time:10:30 AM | Name:Inaya Singh | Titles: Star vicino by unknown Fruhlingslied Opus 8, No. 6 by Felix Mendelssohn | Home Festival:Pickering GTA |
Time:10:40 AM | Name:Kendra Brouwer | Titles: Homeward Bound by Marta Keen Thompson Caro mio ben (Thou, all my bliss) by Giuseppe Giordani | Home Festival:Niagara |
Time:10:50 AM | Name:Emily Edwards | Titles: Per la più vaga e bella, La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina by Francesca Caccini Reflets by Lili Boulanger | Home Festival:Guelph |
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:11:10 AM | Name:Stephanie Apostolakos | Titles: Chanson d'amour by Gabriel Fauré If I…, Four Dickinson Songs by Lori Laitman | Home Festival:Hamilton |
Time:11:20 AM | Name:Marlow Malone | Titles: June Magic by Marguerita Spencer La belle est au jardin d'amour by Benjamin Britten | Home Festival:London |
Time:11:30 AM | Name:Arwen Nieuwenhuis | Titles: Shady Grove, American Folk Song by arr. Christine Donkin Sonntag by Johannes Brahms | Home Festival:Ottawa Kiwanis |
Time | Name | Titles | Home Festival |
---|---|---|---|
Time:1:00 PM | Name:Isabella Guan | Titles: Du bist die Ruh by Franz Schubert Nel cor più non mi sento by Giovanni Paisiello | Home Festival:Quinte |
Time:1:10 PM | Name:Alyssa Smith | Titles: Morning Has Broken by Akiko and Forrest Kinney Moon, Sing by Jon Washburn | Home Festival:Kingston |
Time:1:20 PM | Name:YueYao Chen | Titles: Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen by Clara Schumann Il mio bel foco by Benedetto Marcello | Home Festival:Toronto |
Time:1:30 PM | Name:Sumer Fang | Titles: The Water is Wide by Sally Albrecht Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears by Brendan Graham | Home Festival:Oakville |
Time:1:40 PM | Name:Evelyn Li | Titles: Pat Murphy's Meadow by J.M Devine Il Neige by Hermann Bemberg | Home Festival:Peel |
Time:1:50 PM | Name:Isabella Xiang | Titles: Sorge Li sol! Che fai tu? by Stefano Donaudy An den Mond by Franz Schubert | Home Festival:North York Virtual |
Workshop will be held from approximately 2:10 pm to 3:25 pm.
Announcement of winners will happen at the end of the workshop.
The top two competitors from this class will proceed to the playoffs.
The playoffs will be held at St. James-Rosemount Church
171 Sherwood Ave., Kitchener, ON N2B 1K2