Originally from the Outaouais region, soprano Elyse Charlebois is recognized for the power of her voice and the intensity of her interpretations. She made her European debut in 2018 in the roles of Norma (Norma, Bellini) and Leonora (Il Trovatore, Verdi) in productions directed by Kuzman Popov at the Varna Opera House in Varna, Bulgaria.
Her repertoire also includes Tosca (Tosca, Puccini), Abigaille (Nabucco, Verdi), Sieglinde (Die Walküre, Wagner), Amelia (Un ballo in maschera, Verdi), Leonora (La forza del destino, Verdi), Lady Macbeth (Macbeth, Verdi), Suor Angelica (Suor Angelica, Puccini), the Mother (Hänsel und Gretel, Humperdinck), Elle (La Voix humaine, Poulenc), Countess Almaviva (Le nozze di Figaro, Mozart), Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana, Mascagni), and Concepción (L’Heure espagnole, Ravel).
In 2017, she recorded two rarely performed operas in Milan with Edizioni Bongiovanni, singing the roles of Vanna (Vanna, Pavanelli) and Mara (Maremma, Di Cagno).
In addition to her operatic repertoire, she has appeared as a soloist in numerous sacred works, including Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, Mozart’s Requiem and Missa Brevis, Beethoven’s Ode an die Freude, Liszt’s Missa Coronationalis, Rutter’s Gloria, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Stravinsky’s Mass, Vivaldi’s Domine Deus, Gloria, and Magnificat, Haan’s Missa Katarina, John Rutter’s Magnificat, and Haydn’s Missa brevis St. Joannis de Deo. She has also had the opportunity to perform Requiem pour Mathieu by composer Pierrette Froment-Savoie.
She has also explored contemporary repertoire, appearing as soloist in Whitacre’s Five Hebrew Love Songs and Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine. She worked under the direction of Lorraine Vaillancourt on Aperghis’ Récitations and on the premiere of Sorcières by Matthieu Bellemare.
In January 2023, she recorded Création d’Éternité de l’Éphémère by François-Hugues Leclair with pianist Frédéric Lacroix.
Ms. Charlebois has received numerous awards in recent years. In September 2017 and May 2018, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec awarded her grants to support the continuation of her career. In July 2017, she won Third Prize at the International Voice Competition Fiorenza Cossotto in Bologna, Italy, and also received a scholarship from the Bologna International Opera Academy for advanced operatic training. She was awarded professional development grants from Les Offices jeunesse internationaux du Québec (LOJIQ) in January and July 2017. In 2015 and 2016, she was a finalist at the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg International Vocal Competition in Berlin, Germany, and in May 2015 she received the Lyric Scholarship from the Théâtre Lyrique de la Montérégie. In 2014, she won several distinctions: she was the laureate of the Concerto Competition of the Orchestre Philharmonique des Musiciens de Montréal, then won First Prize in the Voice category at the Festival-Concours Pierre-de-Saurel, where she also received the Desjardins Scholarship.
Since fall 2022, she has been a voice instructor at the Centre d’Excellence Artistique de l’Ontario. She also provides vocal technique training for several choirs, including the Chœur Classique de l’Outaouais and the Chœur de l’Île.
In addition to her work as a pedagogue, she is frequently invited to serve on juries, including those of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).
Elyse Charlebois holds an Artist Diploma in Voice Performance from McGill University and a Bachelor’s degree in Classical Voice Performance from the Université de Montréal.