MARIANNE BERTRAND
BIOGRAPHY
Recognized for “[her] very pretty mezzo voice which she uses with great musicality…” (Revue L’Opéra), Marianne Bertrand is a mezzo-soprano from Quebec who is “Extremely gifted in dramatic interpretation...” (Revue L'Opéra), and who will be a Young Artist in Vancouver Opera's Yulanda M. Faris Young Artist Program for their 2025-2026 season. There, she will perform the role of Giovanna in Rigoletto by Verdi, as well as understudy Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Dorabella in Così fan tutte by Mozart. She previously performed the roles of Croûte-au-pot in Mesdames de la Halle by Offenbach, Hänsel in Hänsel und Gretel by Humperdinck, Dido in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief by Menotti, and excerpts of the role of Ruggiero in Alcina by Haendel, all at the Montreal Conservatory of Music, where she obtained her Master's degree. In the summer of 2025, she will perform the roles of Zweite Dame in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart at the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (CVAI), Orlofsky in Die Fledermaus by J. Strauss and be the understudy of Prince Charmant in Cendrillon by Massenet at the Berlin Opera Academy.
Marianne stood out in multiple competitions, and she will compete in the Semi-finals of the Prix d'Europe Competition in June 2025. She was qualified to participate in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in the New Orleans district in 2025. Marianne represented the province of Quebec at the national competition of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers Associations (CFMTA) in July 2023, where she won second prize, as well as the Tiffany A. Wilson prize for the best interpretation of an Italian aria. She also stood out at the « Concours d’Art Lyrique de la Relève Musicale » where she won the Laurette Paradis prize and the Lied prize in 2022, in addition to having won a gold mention at the Lanaudière classical music competition and festival in 2024, the 3rd prize at the Classival competition and a silver medal at the Sherbrooke music competition in 2023.
"A VERY BEAUTIFUL MEZZO VOICE WHICH SHE USES WITH GREAT MUSICALITY"
Revue l'Opéra
Along her training, she was able to work with many professionals, such as conductors Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Luc Beauséjour, Léa Moisan-Perrier and Jean-François Rivest. She has also worked with Romain Pollet, Robin Wheeler, Francis Perron, Jean-François Mailloux, as well as with stage directors Alain Gauthier, Nathalie Deschamps, Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière and François Racine. She has also participated in many training programs, including the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (CVAI) in 2023, the Canadian Opera Company Summer Intensive Program in 2024 and the Orford Music Academy in the week with Liz Upchurch and Wendy Nielsen in 2024. In 2025, she will be an intern at the Lachine International Vocal Academy, the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (CVAI), and the Berlin Opera Academy.
In addition to opera, she stands out in other projects, notably during her participation in the panel on women in opera which took place on November 24, 2022, at the University of Montreal. She gave a presentation on the role of women through the character of Gilda in Verdi's opera Rigoletto. She was also invited to perform at the « Salons musicaux d’Orford » where she sang french melodies of Lili Boulanger and Mel Bonis.
