Portrait : Sarah Dufresne, soprano

SARAH DUFRESNE, SOPRANO
ATELIER 2020-2022

Text : Véronique Gauthier
Photos : Marianne Charland

Originally from Niagara Falls, in 2017 soprano Sarah Dufresne moved to Montreal to complete a master’s at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. With this degree under her belt, she joined the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal in 2020. Here is our interview with this sensitive, down-to-earth and vocally passionate artist.

Right at home in Montreal

Sarah has loved to sing since she was a very young child. From children’s church choirs to studying opera at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, her path seemed to be mapped out. But did she always know she would once day espouse the professional career of a musician? “Absolutely not!” she replied with a chuckle. “Something clicked when I was about 16 years old. I became clear to me that this is what I wanted to do in life. But because I’m a very realistic person, I knew it wouldn’t be easy and that it may even be impossible. I feel very fortunate today, at 27, to be earning a living through singing.”

When she moved to Montreal to continue her studies, Sarah immediately felt at home. “It is the first place, after my hometown, where I have felt at home. For me, what sets Montreal apart is being able to attend a show every weekend and have a festival to go to practically every day of the week. There is always something going on and I love that! I love my neighbourhood, the mountain where I go running is nearby, I’m really well here.”

The Atelier lyrique: a welcoming and supportive community

It was, therefore, only natural that this soprano would continue to thrive in Montreal after her studies were finished. Called to participate in the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal’s National Auditions week right before the onset of COVID-19, after meeting the team, it became clear to her that this is where she wanted to be. “I felt that I just clicked with everyone. I also got the impression that the Opéra de Montréal was a very welcoming company that makes us feel at home, and that was really important for me in order to transition more comfortably from student life to professional life.”

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Making music during the pandemic

This welcoming cocoon proved all the more valuable, since the period to follow was shaping up to be a rocky one. “Looking back, I consider myself very lucky to have auditioned at that time. I found an incredible community and support for getting through the pandemic, and all the while I kept on learning and making music,” the young singer gratefully acknowledged.

While COVID-19 forced the cancellation of all stage performances for several months, the singer views this downtime with the Atelier lyrique as a period that enabled her improve herself and spend a lot of time working on her technique. “It’s true, what was happening was catastrophic, but there was something really nice about being able to have lessons and coaching sessions every day, to study roles and work on ourselves. We were the luckiest singers in the world over the past two years, and we continued to be paid to sing!”

A perfect transition toward professional life

For Sarah, the Atelier represents an ideal bridge between student life and professional life, the perfect balance between structure and autonomy. “They were always looking out for me, always wanting me to succeed, but I also had to organize myself and manage on my own. At school, you follow your schedule and let yourself be carried a bit by the current, while in your professional life, you always have to be one step ahead on what is coming up. The Atelier helps you to harness that.”

Her two years spent with the Atelier also enabled this acutely sensitive soprano to deeply connect with the artist and singer that she is. “I am a completely different singer than before the pandemic,” she stated. “I’ve had the time and the space to reflect and to ask myself, ‘why do I sing?’ I discovered that I sing because I feel things very strongly, I am a highly emotional person, and I think I have a way of expressing myself through music that reaches people, that creates an authentic experience between an audience and myself. I realized during the pandemic that my sensitivity is a strength, and that it is even one of my greatest strengths as an artist.”

Flourishing in her uniqueness

This young woman also gained some self-confidence thanks to the Atelier, which encouraged her to express and assert herself. “It was the first time I felt I had permission to be an artist in my own right, that my opinions were valid and that what I had to say was worthwhile. It helped me to grow!”

Rather than training singers using a template approach, the Atelier seeks to bring out the best in each individual. “The team takes what you are and encourages you to go further. What counts is the person you are, you. I feel that from every person I collaborate with here.”

Starting with Ariane Girard, her voice teacher with whom she discovered in her voice a new richness of timbre. And Esther Gonthier, with whom she came full circle on her Montreal adventure – since this pianist and coach also guided her when she had just arrived at McGill University. “Working with her again enabled me to see how much I had grown; I am so much better now! Esther is a very important part of my musical journey in Montreal.”

Riders to the Sea: a deep dive in the big stage

A defining moment of her time with the Atelier: the opera Riders to the Sea by Vaughan Williams, thanks to which she gained her first experience of the main stage of the Théâtre Maisonneuve, in the fall of 2021. “It was my first professional production, and I was in awe of being part of the same cast as Allyson McHardy and Andrea Núñez. I thought, ‘Wow, I’m here, in the same rehearsal room as these two women who sing everywhere,’ and I knew what I was doing, and I knew I could do it well. I only had to trust myself. It was then that I realized I have everything I need to work in this profession.”

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Opera, pop, crossover: singing, no matter the style

While Sarah’s professional future is destined for opera, this singer is also inclined toward other musical styles and does not shy away from trying them on from time to time. “For me, mastering my instrument does not only mean mastering the art of opera! If you work your voice smart, you can sing lots of things. I have always thought it was important to be able to adapt to different styles.”

For this young woman, singing is primarily a medium for expressing emotions, which can be rendered as much through an opera aria as a pop tune with piano. “I always need to sing, but that can take different forms. I love that I can belt out a high C, but I can also perform a soft and intimate song, and that both will move people. It all depends on the colour, the emotion you put into it. We can do it all! So then, why not do it all?”

Next stop: the Royal Opera House

Beginning in late summer, European audiences will have the chance to discover the soprano’s unctuous timbre after she flies off to the United Kingdom to join the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artists Program.

“It’s a two-year program, I don’t know what will happen next, whether I stay in Europe or come back to Montreal. What is certain is that I will stay in touch with the Opéra de Montréal. It has been such a great two years! I got to know some extraordinary teachers and colleagues here. I will always maintain a special connection with people here. Coming back to Montreal will always feel a bit like coming home.”

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