Photo by Jean-Sébastien Jacques
MARIANNE BERTRAND
BIOGRAPHY
Recognized for “[her] very pretty mezzo voice which she uses with great musicality…” (Revue L’Opéra), Marianne Bertrand is a canadian mezzo-soprano from Montreal who is “Extremely gifted in dramatic interpretation...” (Revue L'Opéra), and who is currently 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, as well as understudy Maddalena (Rigoletto) and Dorabella (Così fan tutte). Marianne has performed the role of Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) and understudied Prince Charmant (Cendrillon) at the Berlin Opera Academy, and she performed the role of Zweite Dame (Die Zauberflöte) at the Canadian Vocal Arts Institute (CVAI). She has also performed the roles of Croûte-au-pot (Mesdames de la Halle by Offenbach), Hänsel (Hänsel und Gretel), Dido (Dido and Aeneas), Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief by Menotti) and excerpts of the role of Ruggiero (Alcina), all at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, where she obtained her Master's degree.
Marianne stood out in multiple competitions, and she will compete in the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in the Boston District in December 2025. She 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. Marianne is the 2025 recipient of the Opéra Bouffe du Québec Famille Ratycz Myre grant. She is also the recipient of two scholarships of excellence from the Foundation of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, who also awarded her the Gabrielle Lavigne award in 2024.
"A VERY BEAUTIFUL MEZZO VOICE WHICH SHE USES WITH GREAT MUSICALITY"
Revue l'Opéra
Marianne has worked with conductors Jacques Lacombe (Rigoletto at Vancouver Opera), Jean-Marie Zeitouni (Hänsel und Gretel at Conservatoire de musique de Montréal), Luc Beauséjour (Dido and Aeneas and Alcina at Conservatoire), Christopher Gaudreault (Die Zauberflöte at Canadian Vocal Arts Institute), Léa Moisan-Perrier (Mesdames de la Halle at Conservatoire) and Jean-François Rivest (Così fan tutte and La vie parisienne at Université de Montréal). She has also worked with Tina Chang, Leslie Dala, Romain Pollet, Robin Wheeler, Francis Perron, Jean-François Mailloux, as well as with stage directors Glynis Leyshon, 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 and 2025, the Berlin Opera Academy and the Lachine International Vocal Academy in 2025, 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 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.
Photo by Alexandre Lirette
Laetitia (The Old Maid and the Thief)
Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, 2024