The Canadian soprano, Hélène Brunet, is a graduate of the University of Montreal in 2010 and the Montreal Conservatory of Music in 2011. She studied with Catherine Sévigny and Gail Desmarais. She has also studied under the direction of soprano Suzie LeBlanc and the counter-tenor Daniel Taylor as well as participated in several master classes, most notably with Dame Emma Kirkby, Charles Daniels, and June Anderson. She participated in the inaugural American Bach Soloists Academy in 2010, She is currently studying with reputed New-York voice teacher Neil Semer.
Hélène Brunet is hailed by the critics as “a singer of tremendous quality” with “a voice of perfect beauty” and “sincere expression” that is “vocally alluring”, “passionate and reverent”. She is particularly reputed for her interpretations of the works of J.S. Bach, George Frideric Handel and W.A. Mozart.
In recent seasons, Hélène Brunet has collaborated with reputed orchestras, including the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, American Bach Soloists (Director: Jeffrey Thomas), Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, I Musici de Montréal, Arion Baroque Orchestra, as well as Ensemble Caprice (Director: Matthias Maute), Ensemble Thirteen Strings, Ensemble Les Boréades, and l’Harmonie des Saisons. She has sung under such renowned conductors as Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Jeffrey Thomas, Eric J. Milnes, Kevin Mallon, Raffi Armenian, David Fallis, Ivars Taurins and Alexander Weimann.
This year (2016), the album "Las Ciudades de Oro" where Hélène Brunet is featured with ensemble l’Harmonie des Saisons (ATMA Classique) won the Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year (vocal). Hwe 2016 season also included a recording of J.S. Bach's cantatas with Montréal Baroque (Director: Eric J. Milnes) under ATMA Classique. She has participated to several other recordings on Analekta label, Carus Records and Hännsler Classic. In 2014, she sang the role of Abra in Antonio Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans with Ensemble Caprice (Matthias Maute). The concert won the Opus Prize of Concert of the Year (Baroque music), awarded by the Conseil Québécois de la Musique. She is featured in several other recordings, including: "Adagio: A Consideration of a Serious Matter" (Analekta, 2013), Ave Maria (Analekta 2012), A. Vivaldi’s Le Retour des Anges (Analekta, 2011), Messiah by Sven-David Sanström (Carus Records, 2010), and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem (Hänssler Classic, 2008).
In opera, Hélène Brunet sang the role of Hymen in Lully’s Persée in Toronto and on tour at the Royal Opera House of the Château de Versailles with the famed Opera Atelier. In Tel Aviv, Israel, she sang the role of Laurette in Georges Bizet’s Le Docteur Miracle. In Montreal, she sang the role of Galatea in G.F. Handel’s Acis And Galatea. She was also featured as Dorinda in Purcell’s The Tempest at the Montreal Baroque Festival, and worked with Boris Brott in Hamilton’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Hélène Brunet is signed by the cutting edge and internationally renowned Québécois audio company Simaudio as ambassador She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario. |