Jacqueline Martel, also known by her married name Jacqueline Cistellini, (August 6, 1934April 30, 2017) was a Canadian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

and music educator who had an active international career in

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s and concerts in the 1960s and 1970s. She won the Prix Archambault in 1957 and the

Prix d'Europe The Prix d'Europe is a Canadian study grant that is funded by the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec of the Government of Quebec. Established in 1911, the award has been distributed annually to a single individual through competition wi ...

in 1960. After retiring from performance, she had a lengthy career as a voice teacher; teaching primarily at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal where she was a professor of voice from 1980 until her retirement in 2011.

Life and career

Born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, Jacqueline Martel began her music studies in piano at the age of six at the Mallet Convent in her native city. In 1952 she began studies at the

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec (CMQQ) is a music conservatory located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Founded by the Quebec government in 1944, it became the second North American music institution of higher learning to be en ...

(CMQQ); initially as a piano student. In 1955 she began vocal training at the CMQQ with soprano

Ria Lenssens A ria (; gl, ría) is a coastal inlet formed by the partial submergence of an unglaciated river valley. It is a drowned river valley that remains open to the sea. Definitions Typically rias have a dendritic, treelike outline although they c ...

, and after two years under her training she won the voice division of the Prix Archambault in 1957. From 1959 to 1961 she studied singing under Dina Maria Narici at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. After winning the

in 1960, Martel used the prize to pursue further voice training in Italy with Maria-Teresa Pediconi and in piano with Giorgio Favaretto at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome from 1961-1964. While there, she made her professional opera debut at the

Teatro dell'Opera di Roma The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

as Laetitia in

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept h ...

's '' The Old Maid and the Thief''. She appeared as a leading soprano at

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

s in Italy, France, Switzerland, and Canada in the 1960s and 1970s. Her repertoire included the role of Rosina in Rossini's ''

The Barber of Seville ''The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution'' ( it, Il barbiere di Siviglia, ossia L'inutile precauzione ) is an ''opera buffa'' in two acts composed by Gioachino Rossini with an Italian libretto by Cesare Sterbini. The libretto was base ...

'' and the title role in

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are '' Manon'' (1884) and ''Werther' ...

's ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was first ...

'' among other parts. She also performed the world premieres of two works by

Virgilio Mortari Virgilio Mortari (December 6, 1902 – September 5, 1993) was an Italian composer and teacher. Biography Mortari was born in Passirana di Lainate, near Milan in 1902. He studied at the Milan Conservatory with Costante Adolfo Bossi and Ildebrando ...

. Martel joined the voice faculty of the

Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Trois-Rivières The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Trois-Rivières (CMQT) is a music conservatory located in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada. Most of the school's students come from the Saint-Maurice region of Quebec; many of them from the conservatoi ...

in 1974, and in 1980 she began teaching as a part of the voice faculty at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. She retired from her position at the latter school in 2011. In 1966 Martel married the Italian businessman Ennio Cistellini. She died on April 30, 2017.

Leading roles

* 1963 : ''The Barber of Seville'' * 1964 : ''Les Pêcheurs de perles'' * 1965 : ''Mireille'' * 1967 : ''La Bohème'' * 1969 : ''Les Pêcheurs de perles''

References

1934 births 2017 deaths Academic staff of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal Academic staff of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Trois-Rivières Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni Canadian operatic sopranos Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Québec alumni Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal alumni Voice teachers {{Portal bar, music, canadian, opera, classical music