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JEUNES en MUSIQUE
NEW VOICES
JEUNES AMBASSADEURS LYRIQUES CONNECTS YOUNG SINGERS WITH EUROPE
Wah Keung Chan
you can
tell if you would like
to hire a singer in the
first minute of the
“Sometimes,
audition,” said Alain
Nonat, president of the 16-year-old
Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques (JAL).
Speaking from the perspective of an
opera director, Nonat explained the key
for young singers looking for a career is
to get that one-minute opportunity to
sing for those responsible for hiring.
Winning over Europe is still essential
for a singer, but traveling there for
auditions can become an expensive
proposition. So once a year in
November, Nonat’s JAL makes the
process much easier by bringing
European Opera directors to Montreal
to listen to 20 of the best young
singers Canada has to offer.
What brings opera directors back
every year? “Canada is a good exporter
of singers,” said Nonat. “We have good
singing schools in Montreal and Toronto. And we
are a country with very expressive singers.”
Nonat cites the apprenticeship programs, such
as the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble
Studio, the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal
and the Vancouver Opera Ensemble. At the
University level, Nonat regards McGill, University
of Montreal, the Royal Conservatory of Music
and the University of Toronto highly. Although
performing opportunities have increased in
Canada, Nonat feels that it’s difficult for a
Canadian to have a career just singing in
Canada. “There are too many good Canadian
singers now. If you sing too much in Canada, it’s
difficult to get work outside because of international
competition.” Quebec singers have particularly
found success with French opera houses,
but Nonat cautions that he has noticed lately
that the level of French singers has improved,
meaning greater competition.
Over the years, the JAL program has assisted
some of Canada’s leadinag young singers, including
Yannick-Muriel Noah (2 nd prize at the Belvedere and
grand prize at the Marmot) before she came 2 nd at
the 2009 Montreal International Music
Competition, Michèle Losier, Marie-Josée Lord,
Etienne Dupuis and even American tenor Michael
Fabiano who was featured in the Metropolitan
Opera’s The Audition. “In the Opera de Québec and
Opéra de Montréal’s production of Starmania, 10
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Guy Montavon, Opera Erfurt; Alain Nonat-Hans, Nieuwenhuis-OperaNederland Studio; Catherine
Sevigny, Ville de Montreal laureate; Chantal Nurse-Henri Maier, Opera events-Leipizig; Gabrialla Ravazzi-Spazio, Musica
Italie; Marc Clemeur, Opera de Strasbourg; Audrey Larose Zicat, laureate
out of 12 singers were laureates,” said Nonat.
Assistance comes in the form of actual engagements,
bursaries for travel to auditions in Europe,
scholarships for workshops and cash prizes.
All of this is accomplished within the JAL’s
modest $50,000 budget, which pays for travel and
hotels for 9 to 11 opera directors. You would think
that creating jobs for Canadians would garner
help from government looking to help our export
economy, but unfortunately, the JAL has traditionally
fallen between the cracks. “We have to start
from scratch every year to raise the money, which
takes up a lot of energy,” lamented Nonat.
“Thankfully, this year we received more money
from the City of Montreal and for the first time a
grant from the premier’s office.” Part of Nonat’s
problem are the free concerts he presents each
year besides the Gala before the directors, as
granting agencies still frown on funding free
events. Others have come on board to help. Michel
Buruiana has helped create three new prizes for
the JAL: The Prix Verdi-Raoul Blouin, Prix d’Art
Lyrique Canadien-Danielle Blouin and the Prix
Haricléa Darclée-Michel Buruiana.
Regardless of setbacks, Nonat is not deterred
from his volunteer vocation. “This is not a competition.
For the singers, it’s a different atmosphere
because it’s about getting hired and there is more
camaraderie.” A professional video of the Gala is
also sent to opera directors who could not attend,
which has also generated several job offers.
In the last five years, the JAL has also been
operating in China. “It began with the Chinese
Music Association and it works exactly the same
as in Canada, with European directors flying in.”
Nonat says he finds that Chinese singers have
natural voices and are more sensitive to song,
much like the Italians. European directors are taking
notice of the Chinese because they are generally
taller than Koreans and the Japanese and are
not as mechanical in their singing. “The problem
in China is not technique, it’s that they have an
obsession with Verdi and Puccini. Singers don’t
know about Mozart. Consequently, you have 22 to
23 year old singers who are taking on roles that
are too heavy for them and within three or four
years, their voices change for the worst.” ■
Montreal audiences will have a chance to hear three of
the programs’ top Chinese singers during the week of
festivities leading up to the XVI JAL Gala on November
15. The 3 e Rencontres lyriques internationales de
Montréal will present an Asian Opera Evening on Nov.
12, a French-German Opera Evening on Nov. 13 and a
Mozart to Verdi Evening on Nov. 14. All concerts are
free except the Nov. 15 th Gala. On November 28,
another 11 judges arrive for the 10 th Czech and Slovak
Competition. Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur.
514-684-7287.
54 Novembre 2009 November