Layla Claire (born 1982) is 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 ...

opera singer.

Life and career

She was born in Penticton,

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She is a graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist at the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

, where she made her debut as Tebaldo in

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

's ''

Don Carlos ''Don Carlos'' is a five-act grand opera composed by Giuseppe Verdi to a French-language libretto by Joseph Méry and Camille du Locle, based on the dramatic play '' Don Carlos, Infant von Spanien'' (''Don Carlos, Infante of Spain'') by Friedri ...

'' in 2010. She studied at

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

and graduated from the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on full scholarship. Hi ...

in 2009. She was awarded the Prix des Amis d'Aix-en-Provence for best Mozart performance for her 2012 European debut as Sandrina (

La finta giardiniera ' ("The Pretend Garden-Girl"), K. 196, is an Italian-language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote it in Munich in January 1775 when he was 18 years old and it received its first performance on 13 January at the in Munich. There is deb ...

'') and has since made acclaimed debuts at the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...

as Donna Elvira (''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

''), Opernhaus Zürich as the Governess ('' The Turn of the Screw''), Washington National Opera as Blanche de la Force (''

Dialogues des Carmélites ' (''Dialogues of the Carmelites''), FP 159, is an opera in three acts, divided into twelve scenes with linking orchestral interludes, with music and libretto by Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 196 ...

''), Canadian Opera Company as Fiordiligi ('' Cosi fan tutte''), Glyndebourne Festival Opera as Donna Anna (''Don Giovanni''), Händel-Festspiele Karlsruhe as Tusnelda (''

Arminio ''Arminio'' ( HWV 36) is an opera composed by George Frideric Handel. The libretto is based on a libretto of the same name by Antonio Salvi, which had been set to music by Alessandro Scarlatti. It is a fictionalisation of events surrounding the G ...

''), and returned to the stage of the Metropolitan Opera as Anne Truelove ('' The Rake's Progress''). Ms. Claire has worked with major conductors including Tilson-Thomas, Nézet-Séguin,

Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lon ...

, Langrée and Hrůša in works by Mahler,

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

, Haydn,

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

and Dvořák. She sang Cathy in the French stage premiere of Herrmann's '' Wuthering Heights'' in Nancy in May 2019 conducted by

Jacques Lacombe Jacques Lacombe, (born July 14, 1963 in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec) is a Canadian conductor. Lacombe began his musical learning with choral singing. He later trained as an organist, and continued his studies at the Conservatoire de musique du ...

Operatic Repertoire

Layla Claire's repertoire includes: * Countess, ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premie ...

'' (

) * Pamina, '' Die Zauberflöte'' (

) * Sandrina, ''

'' (

) * Fiordiligi, ''

Così fan tutte (''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte w ...

'' (

) * Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, ''

'' (

) * Helena, ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'' ( Britten) * Governess, '' The Turn of the Screw'' ( Britten) * Blanche, '' Dialogues of the Carmelites'' (

Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among the best-kno ...

) * Anne Trulove, '' The Rake's Progress'' (

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

) * Tusnelda, ''

'' (

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

)

Awards

* 2010 The Hildegard Behrens Foundation Award. * 2008 Mozart Prize at the Wilhelm Stenhammar International Music Competition * 2008 Queen Elisabeth Competition Laureate * 2007 Britten-Pears Young Artist * 2013

Virginia Parker Prize The Virginia Parker Prize (originally known as the Virginia P. Moore Prize) is an annual award given to outstanding young classical musicians (singers, instrumentalists, or conductors) who have previously been recipients of Canada Council grants. Th ...

* CBC Radio-Canada Jeunes Artistes recital winner * J. Desmarais Foundation Bursaries * Canada Council Grant

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is an American orchestra based in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ASO's main concert venue is Atlanta Symphony Hall in the Woodruff Arts Center. History Though earlier organizations bearing the same name date b ...

Artist biography: Layla Claire
/ref>

References

External links

Layla Claire
official website
Layla Claire
biography at IMG Artists
Video clip: Layla Claire Rehearses with James Levine
from ''James Levine: America's Maestro'',

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, May 2011
"Levine leads superb young cast in a winning “Bartered Bride” at Juilliard"
The Classical Review, George Loomis, February 17, 2011
"Kalmar, Grant Park forces deliver electrifying account of Dvorak Requiem"
Chicago Classical Review, Lawrence A. Johnson, August 14, 2010
"The Bartered Bride, New York"
Opera Today, John Yohalem, February 22, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Claire, Layla 1982 births Living people People from Penticton Singers from British Columbia Canadian operatic sopranos Curtis Institute of Music alumni Université de Montréal alumni 21st-century Canadian women opera singers