_{Artist of the Week} 16 Qs for Dion Mazerolle

When was your first singing lesson (and with whom)?
At 18 years old, I started voice lessons during a preparatory year before my undergrad studies at the University of Moncton with Lisa Roy. I had big 80s rocker hair, and I sang the Ave verum corpus melody by Mozart for my audition. Talk about contrast.

What/who inspired you to sing?
In my high school, Sophie LeBlanc was our school librarian. She loved choral music, and she asked me to join her in this Easter Passion Extravaganza happening in the big city. I joined her to sing with a choir of over 200 singers. This was my first experience singing with an orchestra. Handel’s “Hallellujah” chorus, the pilgrim’s chorus from Wagner’s Tannhauser…wow! Sophie was also the person to help me express myself musically. A certain amateur noon-hour concert suddenly made me a more popular kid – a medley of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and some classical “Ave Maria” tossed in the mix. Crazy kid!

Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
Nancy, France. A few years ago, I was hired to sing Roi de Trèfle in Prokofiev’s L’amour des trois oranges at the Opéra national de Lorraine. Such a beautiful city with its UNESCO site, Place Stanislas. Not to mention the daily baguettes, cheeses, wines and Quiche Lorraines.

Favourite place?
Paris jolie! Right after starting my undergrad degree, the Les Boreades vocal ensemble I was part of was sent to France to sing a few concerts. Our first day, we arrived in Paris. This was my first time outside of Atlantic Canada. The images are still burnt into my memory like it was yesterday. Most notably, walking around one of the city streets and facing the Opéra Garnier, I was breathless then and still am whenever I go back to “la ville lumière.”

Top 3 favourite operas?
Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer.

Who is a singer you admire from the past?
José van Dam. I once heard him live at the Université de Montréal. He sang a wonderful recital of Lieder and mélodies. I have had the privilege to sing a few of his signature roles over the years.

What was the first opera you ever saw?
I remember watching Carmen at Moncton High School during my undergrad studies. This was a Jeunesses Musicales du Canada tour sung by the Opéra de Montréal Atelier lyrique ensemble. A few years later, I did that exact tour with L’elisir d’amore. We must have sung 50+ shows all across Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Ontario.

What’s your ancestry?
I am pretty much Acadian through and through on both sides of my family. Mazerolle-LeBlanc-Doiron. My mom’s LeBlanc ancestors can be traced back to early Acadian settlers in Port-Royal, Nova Scotia.

What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
Although I do tend to bike and walk quite a bit, which are wonderful to help me memorize text as well, I love to sit down on beach sand and listen to the waves hit the shore. I do it as often as I can, especially in the summer on Lake Ontario.

Are there more musicians in your family? If yes, who and what do they play/sing?
I grew up with a large Acadian family, and during most of my childhood, our family get-togethers were epic and always centred around music. My mother’s siblings and cousins always got together to play country/bluegrass, folk, and rock ’n’ roll music. So I did a lot of vocal harmonizing with them during these parties. I do also have a “trash-folk” singer-songwriter cousin in the family. Juno and Polaris Prize-nominated, Lisa LeBlanc has made quite a name for herself in Canada and abroad.

Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
The Pitt. What an awesome glimpse into the life of these characters. Miracles makers and flawed humans.

When did you know you wanted to be an opera singer?
As a young singer, I loved music, but I was always an introvert in my everyday life. As I started singing a few opera roles, I realized how fun making up a character could be. Putting on a costume and makeup was like putting on a different skin. I was able to become these larger-than-life characters and dare to be what I could never do in reality. I was hooked!

Do you enjoy cooking? If yes, what is your best dish?
I do love cooking and started quite young by making my own meals. But I really love baking – my best go-to dessert is Sticky Toffee Pudding (my friend Nathalie Paulin’s recipe).

What is the best advice you have ever been given?
Earlier in my career, I was singing a concert and was being given pointers by an older colleague, and I felt it wasn’t coming from a constructive place. After voicing my anger about this to my voice teacher, she shared that when you are hired as a professional, being supportive and respectful to your fellow colleagues is very important, regardless of what stage we are in our career.

Does singing help keep you young?
I think it does help to keep me young. Although my body keeps on reminding me every so often that it’s not the case.

Are you a perfectionist?
I think I’m a perfectionist even though this is unattainable. I strive to be true to the character and emotion, which sometimes gets me in vocal trouble, as I have played some unsavoury characters in my career. Authenticity onstage is what gives me that drive to go further towards true perfection.