Music & Beyond Preview: Myriam Leblanc

Ottawa Life’s Festival City Series is back! We'll provide a unique look at some of your favourite events.
We’ll go beyond the music with artist interviews, volunteer profiles, concert reviews and spotlights on
the tastes, sights and sounds of the festival season. 

Your city! Your festivals and events!
Like a good sunscreen, Ottawa Life has you covered.

Photo by Atelier Lyrique Artists Choice

Myriam Leblanc is considered as one of the emerging lyric sopranos in Canada's opera scene. Her concert on July 5 is not to be missed. It will be a duo of singing and piano that will span beautiful music from all genre from Mozart to Barber.

Myriam has been gaining attention on the opera scene by winning the People’s Choice at the Canadian Opera company competition, 3rd prize at the “New Discoveries” contest and also grant holder of the Excellence grant given annually by L’Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal.

Since then she has been making her mark with the singing of the title role in Roméo et Juliette (Jeunesses Musicales Canada, 2015) and as a soloist in several Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal concerts. In 2016, she made her debut at the Opéra de Montréal singing the role of the High Priestess in Verdi’s Aïda. In May 2017, she sang the role of Micaëla in Bizet’s Carmen with L’Orchestre Symphonique de Longueuil and, in June, Donna Anna in Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Saskatoon Opera.

Leblanc says that this performance is about sharing the music she really loves to sing. The songs are all very personal to her because each one moves her in a very special way. She explains that, “Each of them has opened my eyes and heart on the beauty of the emotions they give.”

The Music and Beyond concert will start with The Exultate Jubilate by Mozart which in Leblanc's opinion is one of the best piece Mozart wrote. There will be four songs by Barber that are not so well known. “The texts are simply well written that anyone can understand and relate to them. One of them is called "Sure on this shining night" and makes me think about the place we have individually in the world. Barber just puts it very simply in music. Simple is also the key for that kind of poem.”

The second part of the concert will feature three opera arias. The first is O mio babbino caro “that is simply a must have in this concert.” Then, Non mi dir from Don Giovanni by Mozart and Je veux vivre from Romeo and Juliet by Gounod.

On July 5 at 5pm, Myriam Leblanc will be performing at the First Baptist Church and she hopes that you can be there to share her feeling for the music being presented.