The Artist of the Week is Canadian-Cameroonian soprano Suzanne Taffot. She will be singing the role of Mimì in Puccini‘s La bohème with Manitoba Opera on April 5th, 9th and 11th (tickets and info here).
Suzanne is known for her rich, colourful timbre, ease on stage and touching interpretations. Career highlights include engagements with the Orchestre Métropolitain, Opéra de Montréal, Opéra de Québec, Opéra de Limoges, Opéra de Shenzen, the Kosice State Philharmonic, the Gärtenerplatz Theater and Tapestry Opera, where she was nominated for a Dora Award for her performance in Of the Sea.
This week, Suzanne chats with us about the artists who inspire her, how important mental preparation is to performing and the roles she wants to sing in the future. Read on to find out more.
Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
Munich, Germany. The culture of the arts (in different forms) is very much present.
Favourite place?
My yoga mat (during meditation).
Which opera role do you want to be singing right now?
Blanche de la Force – Dialogues des Carmélites by Poulenc. This mythical character, Blanche, is a force of nature. She is resilient and tenacious. She accepts her destiny with confidence and serenity. The music composed by Poulenc is sublime.
Which opera role do you want to be singing in 10 years?
Aida – Verdi.
Who is a singer you admire that is currently working?
I admire Angel Blue a lot for several reasons. Not only does she manage to stay grounded despite a dazzling career, she has an incredible work ethic, she embodies the characters she plays with fervor, her technique is always at the service of what she sings but, in addition, she is true to herself as well as to her values.
Who is a singer you admired from the past?
Leontyne Price! What a voice she had! What a technique! What an interpreter she was!
What’s the strangest/funniest thing that has happened to you on stage?
I remember when I started my career, during a concert with scores, I took off my glasses just before going on stage to realize that I couldn’t read my score… It was lucky that I finally knew my text by heart!!
What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
Singing with an orchestra gives you the feeling of being carried, of being supported, of being lifted. Singing with an orchestra allows you to discover different color palettes and pushes you to integrate these colors into your singing. Singing with an orchestra allows you to listen, to be attentive to what others are doing, to vibrate in tune with everyone in order to become one and rise together towards the supreme art that is music!
Which role do you wish you could sing, but is not in your voice type?
I wish I could sign the aria of Dick Johnson “Ch’ella mi creda” in La fanciulla del West by Puccini. This aria is the most moving aria I have ever heard!
Tent or hotel?
Tent, except when it’s raining. 😉
What are you afraid of?
I’m afraid to wake up tomorrow and realize that I haven’t enjoyed life enough, that I haven’t listened to myself enough, that I haven’t dared enough, that I haven’t traveled enough to discover all that life has to offer, that I haven’t trusted life enough, what it has to offer, and above all, that I haven’t shown enough openness and compassion towards others.
Coffee or tea?
Coffee! Definitely coffee. Without a cup I am not whole, I won’t be able to function properly!!!
What is one surprising thing that you have learned in becoming an opera singer?
You really have to know yourself well. Know your worth and be mentally strong. You have to know yourself technically – what your flaws are, what you need to work on, perfect, refine, embellish, what type of repertoire is right for you, etc. You have to work on your mental strength the same way you work on your voice, know how to boost your morale and not wait for validation from others, from your colleagues, your teachers, the public, or critics.
What was the first opera you ever saw?
The first opera I ever saw was Nabucco by Verdi at Stade de France in Paris.
What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
Yoga, meditation and praying, reading and baking. Can’t choose…
Where did you go to school?
I first started music at the Conservatoire régional de Lyon for two years before going to the University of Montreal to complete my bachelor and masters in opera under the supervision of my teacher (for almost 14 years now) Adrienne Savoie.
What’s a big investment for an opera artist, but totally worth it?
Mental preparation coaching! It is the most important thing to invest in, as well as your voices lessons! Mental preparation for performance is just as important, if not more so, than other forms of preparation. You can be technically, physically, or vocally “perfect,” but if you doubt yourself on stage, if you’re not mentally prepared on stage, it can be disastrous.
What is the best advice you have ever been given?
If you wait for external validation to be happy, you’ll wait your whole life… Singing and art in general are purely subjective. You’ll have people who love your voice, who love your art, and others who hate it. At the end of the day, what matters is that you enjoy yourself and that you transcend yourself in your art.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I understand and speak (a little) my mother’s dialect, which is called Bamendjou by the Bamileke in Cameroon.
If you could be stuck in an elevator with one person, who would it be?
My husband! He’s the funniest person I know, as well as being incredibly intelligent, cultured, humble and open to others. I wouldn’t be bored for a second with him in the elevator!
What is one very popular thing that you have no interest in?
TikTok.
Were there any directors in the past that have really inspired you?
Yannick Nézet-Séguin! He leads through music!
What is the ultimate goal of opera?
To uplift souls through music and storytelling.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SUZANNE TAFFOT
VISIT HER WEBSITE
© Annette B. Woloshen
As Mademoiselle in Brott Opera’s La Flambeau with Catherine Daniel as Madame
© Gärtnerplatztheater
As Mimì in La bohème at Gärtnerplatztheater
La bohème
Manitoba Opera
MIMÌ: Suzanne Taffot
RODOLFO: Zachary Rioux
MARCELLO: Hugo Laporte
MUSETTA: Charlotte Siegel
SCHAUNARD: Clarence Fraze
COLLINE: Alex Halliday
BENOIT/ALCINDORO: David Watson
CONDUCTOR: Tyrone Paterson
DIRECTOR: Anna Theodosakis
Be Swept Away into a World of Young Love & Romance
Poor in cash but rich in dreams, the poet Rodolfoand the frail but beautiful seamstress Mimì chance upon each other one cold winter’s night and fall in love. But soon winter fades, taking with it the love of a lifetime.
Set in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1830s, this true-to-life tale of struggling young artists living life to the fullest will make you laugh and break your heart.
A brilliant mix of lightness and darkness, La Bohème is one of the most romantic operas ever written. Soaring, lyrical, and intensely emotional, this is the music that made Puccini a legend and inspired the Broadway sensation and hit movie, Rent.
Features some of opera’s most famous tunes: the arias “Che gelida manina” (What a frozen little hand), “Mi chiamano Mimì” (My name is Mimì), ”Quando m’en vo” (Musetta’s Waltz), and the great love duet, “O soave fanciulla” (Oh lovely girl).
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Máiri Demings is Opera Canada’s digital content specialist. She’s also a mezzo-soprano who has sung with Tapestry Opera, performs regularly with VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert and Toronto Operetta Theatre, and is one half of duo mezzopiano with pianist Zain Solinski.
