Biography
Mezzo-soprano Lauren Segal, the only Canadian chosen to participate in the inaugural Salzburg Festival Young Artist Project, has established herself as a vibrant presence in both the opera and concert worlds. Critics praise her tone for its “gleaming, luscious timbre” (La Scena Musicale) and her operatic interpretations as “absolutely sensational” (Paula Citron), “spectacular” (The Toronto Star) and “alluring, sexy, her voice rich in nuance” (Opera).
Ms. Segal’s 2022/2023 season includes a return to Opéra de Montréal as Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Elijah with Edmonton’s Richard Eaton Singers. 2021/2022 saw her as Third Lady in Canadian Opera Company’s (COC) The Magic Flute. In2019/2020 she sang one of the Nymphs in the COC’s Rusalka and made concert appearances with the Orpheus Choir in Tippett’s A Child of Our Time, and Messiah with Brott Festival. Appearances in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Hamilton Philharmonic and Bach with Oakville’s Masterworks Chorale were put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ms. Segal’s 2018-2019 season included Maddalena in Rigoletto for Calgary Opera, and Third Maid in Elektra for the COC. On the concert stage, Ms. Segal returned to the Grant Park Music Festival for Haydn’s Theresienmesse, sang Mozart’s Requiem for the Regina Symphony, Verdi’s Requiem for the Okanagan Symphony, and joined the Victoria Symphony for Handel’s Messiah.
Her 2017-2018 season included Charlotte in Werther for Manitoba Opera, Messiah with Symphony Nova Scotia, Olga in Eugene Onegin for Calgary Opera, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for both the Toronto Symphony and the National Arts Centre orchestras. She began the 2016-2017 season with Meg Page in Falstaff for Manitoba Opera and continued with Third Lady in the COC’s Magic Flute, Elijah for Choeur St. Laurent and later for l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, as well as Martin’s In terra pax with the Grant Park Music Festival. Ms. Segal also appeared in Edmonton Symphony’s Messiah.
Ms. Segal scored a personal triumph with her intense performance in Tapestry Opera’s world premiere of M’dea Undone and her schedule also included Katisha in Mikado for Calgary Opera, Flora in La traviata for the Canadian Opera Company, Emilia in Otello for Opéra de Montréal, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Pacific Opera Victoria, El amor brujo for the Hamilton Philharmonic, and Messiah for both the San Francisco Symphony and the McGill Chamber Orchestra.
Further credits include Meg Page in Falstaff for the Canadian Opera Company, Il tramonto (Festival de musique de chambre de Montréal), Suzuki in Madama Butterly and Maddalena in Rigoletto for Opera Tampa, Messiah for the Edmonton Symphony, and a recital tour of the Maritime Provinces for Debut Atlantic. Past seasons have also included Mozart’s Krönungsmesse with the Toronto Symphony, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Calgary Opera, Meg Page in Falstaff with l’Opéra de Montréal, l’Opéra de Québec’s Opera Gala, Bach’s Johannes Passion with the Grand Philharmonic Choir, the eponymous role in Dido and Aeneas for Festival of the Sound and the Westben Festival, Dvorak’s Requiem for Chorus Niagara and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with the Niagara Symphony.
Notable career highlights include Maddalena in Rigoletto for both Manitoba Opera and Opera Hamilton, Nicklausse/Muse/Voix in Edmonton Opera’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Métella in La vie parisienne for Toronto Operetta Theatre, the title role of Carmen for Saskatoon Opera, and Janacek’s Diary of One Who Disappeared with indie company, Against the Grain Theatre. She was heard in concert with Off Centre Music, the Canadian Art Song Project, and in Elijah with the Richard Eaton Singers.
An alumna of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, she was seen at the Four Seasons Centre as Nicklausse/Muse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann and in roles such as Mercedes in Carmen, Siébel in Faust, Aljeja in Janáček’s From the House of the Dead, Sonya in Prokovief’s War and Peace, Nancy T’sang in Adams’ Nixon in China, Dryade in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos and Popova in Walton’s The Bear. Additional credits include Maddalena in Rigoletto for l’Opéra de Montréal, Dorabella in Così fan tutte for Pacific Opera Victoria, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus for Opera Hamilton, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Manitoba Opera and Opera Hamilton and Agnese in Bellini’s Beatrice di Tenda, Fenena in Nabucco and Smeton in Anna Bolena with Toronto’s VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert.