Elisabeth St-Gelais
Soprano with a warm and lyrical voice
Very close to her culture, she participated in several productions of native opera such as Hide and Seek and The Potawatomi and sang in other original productions with the company of native opera Unsettled Score. She is making her European debut in Germany in the summer of 2022, at the Berlin Opera Academy, as Rosalind in the famous operetta Die Fledermaus (The Bat). The soprano accumulates performances across Canada, at the invitation of the Canadian Opera Company and the Orchester I Musici de Montréal, among others. In March 2022, she won the McGill University Wirth Vocal Art Prize. She also won the grand prize for 19-30 year olds at the Canadian Music Competition-Canimex in June 2022, in addition to being named to the prestigious CBC list of 30 classical musicians under 30 ( 30 Under 30), where she stands out as a prominent Indigenous lyrical artist. Elisabeth is finally winner of the first prize in the 26-30 years old category at the Classival Festival, in April 2023. The same month, she completes her master's degree in music in the Voice and Opera program at McGill University. In March 2023, the soprano was appointed to the board of directors of the Conseil québécois de la musique.
Here is the biographical summary. Get to know Révélation Radio-Canada better by consulting the questionnaire below.
Describe your music in less than 12 words.
My interpretations are passionate, generous, thoughtful and sensitive.
At what age did you start making music?
I had my first singing lesson when I was 7 years old. I have never stopped studying music since.
Do you come from a family of musicians?
A family of music lovers, that's for sure. My sisters, my brother and my mother studied music, and everyone loves performing and listening to music. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. My parents and my two sisters are in business, and so am I, as a self-employed artist. We know what it is to live from our passions. I have an amazing and inspiring family. How lucky!
Was there a significant person in your life who gave you a taste for music?
Musical encounters are so rich. That's part of the reason I chose this medium. I had a very significant encounter in my life; It was at the beginning of my music degree at McGill that I met what is now such a precious working partner, an incredible pianist and a friend that I love: Louise Pelletier. She believed in me more than myself, and that's what confirmed to me that I would make a career in music.
Tell us about your city, your village or your neighborhood. Is it a place that inspires your music?
I am an Innu from Pessamit who was raised in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean. My city, my region, is a country in itself, as my father would say, because it is a unique place with a nature like you don't find anywhere else. And it's big! There is space, water, the fjord, the Pekuakami, the Monts Valin… My family and my friends are still there and are central inspirations for me. It is even, I would say, a security to know that all this exists and that I can go back to it when I need it. You never really leave the Saguenay in your heart when you come from there, it's such a special place, and the people there are very special. I feel very privileged to come from Saguenay. It's a rich identity.
You can make three wishes for the coming year. What are they?
Delivering great music, traveling with the people I love, and continuing to be so happy.
Name me an album, track, or artist ( all disciplines combined) who influences you or has influenced you?
Yannick Nézet-Séguin inspires me so much. It radiates in every sense of the word. He is such a high-level musician, so humble and authentic at the same time. It's genius to be as beautiful as anyone. It really energizes me to see a model of success like this.
What song or piece of music do you wish you had written or composed?< /p>
The Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, op. 23 for piano and orchestra by Tchaikovsky. Sometimes you listen to a piece so often that it becomes like a refuge. That's what happens with this concerto: it speaks to me and touches me.
Name me a song that you love to listen to and that would surprise us.
Good queb, like Fred Fortin, Philippe Brach, Zouz or Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project.
If you could take a drink with a music personality, dead or alive, who would you choose?
These days I'd be having a drink with Martha Argerich.
Discover the other Revelations 2023-2024:
Parazar
Rémi Cormier
Marilyne Léonard< br/>Joseph Sarenhes
Waahli
