Atelier lyrique of the Opéra de Montréal : the Opéra de Montréal announces the appointment of a new director

Actualités lyriques

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March 09, 2023

Opéra de Montréal is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Szeto as Director of the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, succeeding Chantal Lambert who will retire at the end of June 2023, after more than 32 years at the helm of the Atelier lyrique. Ms. Szeto will officially take up her position on July 25, 2023.

"Opéra de Montréal has served as an important artistic home for me since I entered its doors as a young pianist in the Atelier lyrique in 2012. The foundations I found here were some of the most impactful experiences of my career.”, says the newly appointed director. “Under Chantal Lambert’s esteemed leadership, the program has distinguished itself as an elite training ground for Canadian artists with a deeply authentic and human approach. It is a privilege for me to take on this role and I look forward to welcoming our incoming resident artists of the 2023-24 season”, concludes the new Director of the Atelier lyrique.

Jennifer Szeto has a long-standing relationship with the Opéra de Montreal and the Atelier lyrique. Her first foray with Opéra de Montreal after completing her Masters in Collaborative Piano at McGill, was as an artist in residence of the Atelier Lyrique in 2012. She joined the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio in 2014, and in 2016, became an Adler Fellow and member of the Merola program at San Francisco Opera. In 2018, Ms. Szeto was one of the founding Artistic Directors of Musique 3 Femmes, a company dedicated to amplifying the work of female creators in Opera. Ms. Szeto developed the opera L’hiver attend beaucoup de moi by Musique 3 Femmes laureates, Pascale St-Onge and Laurence Jobidon. The opera had its world premiere in November 2020.  In 2021, she led the Women in Musical Leadership Conducting Fellowship at Tapestry Opera in Toronto.

“We are thrilled to welcome Jennifer to the Opéra de Montréal team of directors,” says Patrick Corrigan, General Director of the company. “She is a professional with exceptional experience and commitment, with a powerful vision for how we can help our artists grow and attain rewarding careers in an ever-evolving art form. A regular guest coach at the Opéra de Montréal and McGill Opera, Ms. Szeto has been involved in the musical direction of over 40 opera productions, collaborating with dozens of companies, universities, and artist development programs. She is a sought-after speaker and facilitator in the field of artist training and new work development.

Please note that Ms. Szeto and Mr. Corrigan will only be available for interviews when the new Director takes office, in July 2023.

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