Our Artist of the Week is Canadian tenor Jean-Philippe Lazure. He’s in rehearsals in Winnipeg this week, preparing to sing Ferrando in Manitoba Opera‘s reimagined “Canuck-rendition” of Mozart’s Così fan tutte (running April 22-28, tickets here). The cast also includes coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl (Despina), baritone David Watson (Don Alfonso), baritone Johnathon Kirby (Guglielmo), soprano Jamie Groote (Fiordiligi) and mezzo-soprano Danielle MacMillan (Dorabella). All conducted by Tyrone Paterson and directed by Rob Herriot.
Born in Kitchener-Waterloo, Lazure is a graduate of the COC’s Ensemble Studio and a frequent performer on many of Canada’s leading stages and concert halls (The Canadian Opera Company, Manitoba Opera, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony Orchestra and Opera on the Avalon). Coming up, he is a guest soloist in Anton Bruckner’s Te Deum and the world premiere of Stephanie Martin‘s Water: An Environmental Oratorio with conductor Mark Vuorinen in Kitchener on May 28 with the Grand Philharmonic Choir.
When was your first singing lesson and with whom?
My first singing lessons were with Anita Noel at the Beckett School of Music in Kitchener/Waterloo – She was the first person to help me explore my voice and provided me a solid foundation on which I could build for many years!
What inspired you to sing?
I have always loved singing since I was young. When I started university, I wanted to continue pursuing my passion for music and so I looked for opportunities within the community. That’s how I met Laurence Ewashko and Matthew Larkin. If I hadn’t met these two individuals at such a critical time in my development, I probably wouldn’t have followed the path I’m on now!
They gave me the opportunity, tools, and encouragement I needed to turn my love for singing from a hobby into a viable professional career. There are many others who played an integral part in shaping who I am today, but I will always be grateful to these two individuals for changing my life!
Favourite city that you’ve worked in?
Berlin
Top 3 favourite composers
Puccini, Debussy, Mahler
Top 3 favourite operas
Turandot, Pelléas et Mélisande, Cavalleria Rusticana
What’s your favourite opera house?
I know… it’s likely not surprising to hear but the Four Seasons Center in Toronto has felt more like a home than any other theatre!
© Four Seasons Centre of the Performing Arts
Which opera role do you want to be singing right now?
Ferrando!
Who are singers you admire that are currently working?
Gerald Finley and Russell Thomas
Who are singers you admired from the past?
Joseph Rouleau and Fritz Wunderlich
What’s your favourite orchestral instrument? Why?
Cello – I absolutely love the depth and variety of colours it can produce, and how evocative it can be. I find the Bach unaccompanied cello suites cut directly to the heart.
What’s your favourite thing about singing with an orchestra?
Singing with an orchestra is like riding a huge wave of music. The orchestra makes such a powerful and beautiful sound that I feel surrounded and lifted by it. It’s like jumping into a wind tunnel and flying on the air. It’s thrilling and terrifying at the same time!
I’m consistently amazed by the fact that such a large group of extremely high-performing individuals are working together toward a single objective, and that the resulting expression is something much more powerful than the sum of their individual efforts. The opportunity to sing with an orchestra is probably the single most addictive part of the career!
Which role do you wish you could sing, but is not in your voice type?
Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana
Which TV show did you binge-watch last?
Perry Mason
Tent or hotel?
Can the hotel be in nature? I am starting to appreciate quality sleep in my old age…
Coffee or tea?
Espresso!
What was the first opera you ever saw?
Romeo and Juliette
What’s your ancestry?
French Canadian
What’s your favourite mind-calming practice?
I love to run – I find it the best way to center myself and let go of the tension built up throughout the day.
What’s your favourite movie?
I love movies, but I don’t think I can truly choose a “favourite movie”. I’d say that, at the moment, I’m most excited to watch the next season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel! It’s a show I started watching during the first few weeks after the birth of my son, and it brings back such wonderful memories of being completely exhausted and at the same time marveling at the child in my arms – holding back laughter and tears throughout the show as it kept me from falling asleep!
Where’s your favourite coffee shop?
I’d say that Fahrenheit in downtown Toronto is a strong contender.
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What’s the downside of being an opera artist?
Being away from home.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
The meal that was served on my wedding day. It could have been terrible – I don’t think I will ever truly know. It was the happiest meal I’ve ever had.
What was your childhood dream job?
I distinctly remember wanting to build flying cars!
Which album did you listen to last?
Sean Shibe’s “Bach”
Do you sing in the shower?
For years, that’s been my favourite place to warm up – I almost always sing in the shower!
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I think that many of my colleagues do not know (though I guess by saying this, the cat will be out of the bag…) that I have a not-so-secret second life as a Project Manager. I started out with a company that builds Maritime surveillance radars, and more recently I have been working for the National Gallery. I find the complementary work fascinating and at times exhilarating.
What does it mean to be brave with music?
For me, this is truly a question I’m constantly trying to answer. I think that as a performer, being brave means being vulnerable on stage. It’s extremely difficult to trust that everything you’ve done to prepare (not to mention the years of music and voice lessons, coaching, language classes…) will be there in the moment and will carry you through the performance. Bravery is overcoming the fear of failure and risking ridicule for the opportunity to create and express what is inside.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JEAN-PHILIPPE LAZURE
VISIT HIS WEBSITE
Jean-Philippe Lazure © Curt Sachs
Jean-Philippe Lazure as Le Remendado in Canadian Opera © Michael Cooper
Mozart’s Così fan tutte
Manitoba Opera
April 22, 25 & 28, 2023
TRACY DAHL / DAVID WATSON / JAMIE GROOTE / JEAN-PHILIPPE LAZURE / DANIELLE MACMILLAN / JOHNATHAN KIRBY
A Canuck Così! Mozart’s comic masterpiece about love and relationships unfolds in the majestic Canadian wilderness. There’s a lot to be learned from this opera about the give and take of relationships and how to laugh at yourself. This gloriously passionate romp brims with some of the sweetest music Mozart ever wrote, as clumsy romancers get cozy with catastrophe.
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We tell OPERA stories with a CANADIAN twist. If you have a news that fits that description, please email editorial@operacanada.ca with your tip. The people behind these posts are Elizabeth Bowman, Editor-In-Chief, and Cait Wood, Digital Specialist.
