SarahDufresne

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  • Soprano

About Sarah

Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne was a member of the Jette Parker Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House from 2022-2024 and was named as an Associate Artist of The Mozartists for the 2023-2024 season.

Named as one of Canada’s Top 30 Classical Musicians Under 30 in 2022, Sarah's recent performances at the Royal Opera House include Lucia (The Rape of Lucretia), Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), Hirt (Tannhäuser), Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Voce dal Cielo (I and Tusnelda (Arminio). Other recent performances include Carmina Burana with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Rafael Payare, and Nora (Riders to the Sea) with the Montreal Opera. She has also performed with companies and orchestras across Canada, including Orchestre de l’Agora, Ottawa Choral Society and with Orchestre Métropolitain.

In 2022 Sarah was awarded the Second Prize (Aria division) at the Concours Musical International de Montréal and was praised for her “tremendous dramatic presence,” and “astonishing clarity and vocal dexterity” (Opera Canada).

Sarah is based in Canada

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Contact

Alice Stacpoole

Alice Stacpoole

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

General Management with Askonas Holt (Excl. Canada) Partner manager Canada: Dean Artists Management

Follow Sarah

Season Highlights

Aug 2024
Lanaudiere Festival
Aida (High Priestess) Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor)
Nov 2024 - Nov 2024
Montreal Opera
Hamlet (Ophélie) Jacques Lacombe (conductor)
Dec 2024 - Dec 2024
Barbican, London
La rondine (Yvette) Antonio Pappano (conductor)
Jan 2025 - Jan 2025
Bayerische Staatsoper
Le nozze di Figaro (Barbarina) Susanna Mälkki (conductor)
Feb 2025 - Feb 2025
Bayerische Staatsoper
Die Liebe der Danae (Semele) Claus Guth (director) Sebastian Weigle (conductor)
Apr 2025 - Apr 2025
Pacific Opera Victoria
Rigoletto (Gilda) Robert Tweten (conductor)
May 2025 - May 2025
Maison Symphonique, Montreal
Mahler Symphony No.2

Video

Audio

  • Quatre Chansons de Jeunesse, "Pantomime", Debussy
    Recorded: 01 January 2025
  • Quatre Chansons de Jeunesse, "Clair de lune", Debussy
    Recorded: 01 January 2025
  • Quatre Chansons de Jeunesse, "Pierrot", Debussy
    Recorded: 01 January 2025
  • Quatre Chansons de Jeunesse, "Apparition", Debussy
    Recorded: 01 January 2025

Photos

Selected Repertoire

Bernstein

Candide (Cunegonde)

Bizet

Carmen (Frasquita)

Britten

Albert Herring (Miss Wordsworth)   •   A Midsummer's Dream (Tytania)   •   Rape of Lucretia (Lucia)

Donizetti

L’elisir d'amore (Adina, Giannetta)

Handel

Acis and Galatea (Galatea)   •   Alcina (Morgana)   •   Ariodante (Ginevra)   •   Arminio (Tusnelda)   •   Jephtha (Iphis)

Humperdinck

Hansel and Gretel (Dew Fairy)

Janacek

Cunning Little Vixen (Vixen)

Lizée

No One's Safe (Rebecca Marshall)

Massenet

Werther (Sophie)

Mozart

Die Zauberflote (Pamina), (Papagena)   •   Don Giovanni (Zerlina)   •   La Clemenza di Tito (Servilia)   •   Le Nozze di Figaro (Barbarina)

Puccini

La rondine (Yvette)

Ravel

L’enfant et les sortileges (The Nightingale)

Thomas

Hamlet (Ophélie)

Vaughan Williams

Riders to the Sea (Nora)

Verdi

Don Carlo (Voce dal cielo)   •   Rigoletto (Gilda)

Wagner

Tannhauser (Shepherd)

Weill

Street Scene (Mrs. Fiorentino)

News

Press

  • Die Liebe der Danae

    Bayerische Staatsoper
    Feb 2025

    • "Sarah Dufresne as Semele, Evgenya Sofnikova as Europa, Emily Sierra as Alkmene and Abery Amereau as Leda make an entertaining quartet of love-struck and mare-bitten ex-lovers."

    • Sarah Dufresne, Evgeniya Sotnikova, Emily Sierra and Avery Amereau are also musically on point as Semele, Europa, Alkmene and Leda. Otherwise, there is a lot of sophisticated directing routine to be seen, everything is well crafted.

    • The quartet of Jupiter's former ladies of the heart whirl charmingly through the scenes: Sarah Dufresne as Semele, Evgeniya Sotnikova as Europa, Emily Sierra as Alkmene and Avery Amereau as Leda.

    • The cast is excellent, from Christopher Maltman’s multi-faceted, Wotan-esque Jupiter and Andreas Schager’s endearing Midas to Sarah Dufresne, Evgeniya Sotnikova, Emily Sierra, and Avery Amereau in a formidably sexy, worldly-wise quartet as Jupiter’s ex-lovers Semele, Europa, Alkmene and Leda.

    • Special mention to the four hair-raising and quite funny conquests of Jupiter: Sarah Dufresne, Evgeniya Sotnikova, Emily Sierra and Avery Amereau. All, I repeat all, can boast of having very comprehensible German.

    • Mocking and futile, beautifully costumed, the four queens, whom Strauss always treats as a group, like a four-headed hydra in love trying to claim her divine lover, are remarkably played by Sarah Dufresne (Semele), Evgeniya Sotnikova (Europa), Emily Sierra (Alcmène) and Avery Amereau (Leda), a choral group that creates an impressive canon in the third act.

    • Jupiter's four ex-lovers, (Sarah Dufresne, Evgeniya Sotnikova, Emily Sierra and Avery Amereau) were also very expressive and witty in their phrasing.

    • "The quartet of queens, who are Sarah Dufresne (Semele), Evgeniya Sotnikova (Europa), Avery Amereau(Leda) and above all Emily Sierra (Alkmene), are so good and witty that they risk somewhat overshadowing their respective consorts, namely Bálint Szabó, Kevin Conners, Paul Kaufmann and Martin Snell."

  • La Rondine

    Barbican, London
    Dec 2024

    • Sarah Dufresne, Angela Schisano and Marvic Monreal standing out as a trio of gossipy good-time girls.

    • Ashley Riches’ Rambaldo was suitably unpleasant, while Sarah Dufresne, Angela Schisano and Marvic Monreal all impressed in smaller roles, and the chorus seemed to have more fun than a puritan might deem acceptable in a crisp and well-drilled Act 2.

    • Her lover Prunier, Paul Appleby, seemed swamped by the orchestral sound, but three party guests led by Sarah Dufresne fluttered better.

    • Elsewhere, Sarah Dufresne, Angela Schisano and Marvic Monreal impressed in their cameo roles.

  • Hamlet (Ophélie)

    Montreal Opera
    Nov 2024 - Nov 2024

    • La salle n’a fini par avoir d’yeux que pour elle : Sarah Dufresne, de Niagara Falls. Pour mettre en perspective ce qui s’est passé samedi soir, jamais en vingt ans sur cette scène nous n’avons entendu pareille chose. Aucune Traviata, Tosca, Norma, Mimi, aucun Don Giovanni, Otello ou Falstaff ne restera dans notre mémoire comme « l’Ophélie de Sarah Dufresne en 2024 ». Un choc pareil équivaut à la première rencontre musicale en scène avec Edita Gruberova, dans Traviata jadis à Vienne, Natalie Dessay, en Olympia des Contes d’Hoffmann à Paris, ou Sabine Devieilhe, plus récemment. Un « choc » n’est pas que musical. Il tient à l’intelligence du rôle, à la manière de donner un ton à celui-ci, à l’intelligence de la prononciation du chant français. Sarah Dufresne chantant Ophélie, ce n’est pas seulement une voix éblouissante et facile, une justesse remarquable, c’est aussi un travail de juste couleur sur chaque syllabe, chaque inflexion du texte, un travail qui ne se ressent jamais comme tel.

    • Of these, the mad scene alone was worth the price of admission. Soprano Sarah Dufresne was indescribably compelling as Ophélie. For an entire act, one fifth of the opera, she held the audience in her grasp with profound dramatic conviction and crisp, weightless, piercing coloratura. Her sincere, grounded performances in Ophélie’s previous scenes made the character’s death feel devastating.

    • Her impressive vocal prowess, coupled with a superbly honed dramatic talent, were abundantly evident. Undoubtedly the high point of this performance was the Act 4 depiction of Ophélie's descent into madness and her subsequent suicide. The extreme coloratura demands require a soprano with extraordinary vocal agility and Dufresne rose to the challenge, Ophélie's sense of anguish palpable. The audience reacted with an outburst that was both effusive and protracted.

    • It turned out to be a triumph. For a moment, we thought we were reliving the golden age of opera, when legendary sopranos reigned from high above with the world at their feet. What was most striking was Dufresne’s vocal stamina and the seal of quality she gave at all times, not only in Act 4’s great mad scene, but everywhere else. First proof came early in Act 2, where Dufresne easily matched the international calibre of Karine Deshayes singing Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother.

    • Canadian lyric coloratura soprano Sarah Dufresne was an excellent choice as Ophélie. Her bright, clear voice was the right timbre for this femme fragile. She conveyed the character’s fragility and sadness in her Act II aria “Sa main depuis hier... Les serments ont des ailes”. In Act I, including the duet “Doute de la lumière”, she tended to sing sharply. This thankfully improved in the following acts. Dufresne impressed in the mad scene, “A vos jeux, mes amis, permettez‑moi”, where she showed an amazing mastery of coloratura. Given the vocal acrobatics, the soprano’s grace and Gauthier’s choices in staging, Dufresne outstaged Madore and received the most applause at the end.

  • Carmen

    Royal Opera House
    Apr 2024 - May 2024

    • Speaking of people destined for bigger roles; I have been repeatedly impressed with Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne. I first reviewed her very brief performance as a very aptly named ‘‘Voice from heaven’, in “Don Carlo” and she appears here as Frasquita, heavenly voice tangibly intact. She conducts herself with great physical confidence and is endowed with a beautiful, lyric soprano voice of some quality.

    • Kostas Smoriginas is a firm-toned, sharp-suited toreador in acid yellow flares with Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė standing out as Frasquita and Mercédès.

    • Blaise Malabala was a strong Zuniga, while Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė were a superbly matched Frasquita and Mercédès respectively.

    • Sarah Dufresne and Gabriele Kusyte made a lively pairing as Frasquita and Mercedes, bringing a lightness to their musical performance but also really leaning in to the idea of the two being hookers.

    • The smaller roles are all well taken. Royal Opera Jette Parker Young Artists of huge promise Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė are as vivid a pair of frivolous friends as you’re likely to see or hear.

    • Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/c4a056b0-7948-42ba-920a-7fee967c51a5 Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė, both Jette Parker Young Artists, sparkle as Frasquita and Mercédès, and there is a fine native French duo of smugglers, especially Vincent Ordonneau as Remendado.

    • Kostas Smoriginas is a suitably swaggering Escamillo, Sarah Dufresne and Gabriele Kupsyte bring infectious zip to the female trios with Carmen, and Olga Kulchynska invests the put-upon Micaëla with haunting pathos. And the star-crossed central pair seem made to destroy each other.

    • Jette Parker Artists Sarah Dufresne and Gabriele Kupsyté sparkle as Carmen’s girlfriends Frasquita and Mercédès with their trio “Les tringles des sistres tintaient” being a vocal highlight as they dance in a hybrid flamenco-disco style.

    • Prominent among the remaining cast are the bright, complementary voices of Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė as Frasquita and Mercédès, faring well in the fortune-telling sequence.

    • Ottime anche la Frasquita di Sarah Dufresne e la Mercédès di Gabrielė Kupšytė che portano un po’ di brio.

    • Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė provide excellent support as Frasquita and Mercédès, and the evening’s strong musical credentials also extend to Antonello Manacorda’s conducting.

    • There are very sparky performances from Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė as friends Frasquita and Mercédès.

    • La Frasquita de Sarah Dufresne et la Mercédès de Gabrielė Kupšytė sont de belles promesses.

    • Kostas Smoriginas as Escamillo, unappetising in a lime green raw silk suit, Sarah Dufresne as Frasquita and Gabrielė Kupšytė as Mercédès led the large and admirable supporting ensemble.

    • Among the supporting cast, Pierre Doyen, Vincent Ordonneau, Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielè Kupšytė in particular provide superb performances as the smugglers and Carmen’s friends.

    • The supporting cast was exceptionally strong; bass Blaise Malaba (alumnus of the Jette Parker programme) was an arrogant Zuniga and current Jette Parker Young Artists Sarah Dufresne and Gabrielė Kupšytė were remarkably assured and engaging as Frasquita and Mercédès.

    • Enfin, Sarah Dufresne en Frasquita et Gabrielė Kupšytė en Mercedes se montrent comédiennes investies, aux timbres lumineux et clairs, et dont les légers accents apportent leur touche de charme.

  • Concert with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

    Winnipeg
    Feb 2024

    • Exsultate jubilate, K. 165, a religious motet that has been, in essence, a showcase for multitudes of sopranos since it was penned by the Wunderkind in 1773, provided further taste of Dufresne’s artistry. She soared through her opening Exsultate, jubilate: Allegro, including dazzling colouratura, before delivering an effortless recitativo, Fulget amica dies, performed with a spot-on continuo. [...]her ringing high notes, flawless intonation and nuanced dynamic palette, including shading pianissimos in her uppermost range, rightfully earned her a standing ovation, leading to a final encore from Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte.

  • Hansel und Gretel

    Royal Opera House
    Dec 2023 - Jan 2024

    • Darren Jeffery and Susan Bickley do well with thin pickings as the children’s parents while Isabela Díaz and Sarah Dufresne contribute exquisite cameos as the Sandman and Dew Fairy.

    • Isabela Díaz was bewitching as the Sandman (Sandperson?), while Sarah Dufresne, who just continues to impress time after time, was easily her equal as the Dew Fairy.

    • Sarah Dufresne’s Dew Fairy adds a dash of vocal sparkle and the children’s choir is impressively drilled.

    • Special mention should also be made of Isabela Díaz who gives a highly accomplished performance as the Sandman, as does Sarah Dufresne as the Dew Fairy at the start of the following act.

    • The resurrected children’s chorus at this point is excellent; there are crisp cameos by Isabela Díaz as the Snowman and Sarah Dufresne as the Dew Fairy;

    • Isabela Díaz brings the necessary magic to the Sandman, as does Sarah Dufresne to the Dew Fairy.

  • L'elisir d'amore

    Royal Opera House
    Sep 2023 - Oct 2023

  • Carmina Burana

    Maison Symphonique de Montreal
    Aug 2023 - Aug 2023

    • Côté solistes, une irradiante merveille : Sarah Dufresne, de Niagara Falls et titulaire d’une maîtrise de McGill qui a de la graine de Sabine Devieilhe en elle (traduction : un potentiel de vedette internationale).

  • Don Carlo

    Royal Opera House
    Jun 2023 - Jul 2023

    • Despite only being heard at the end of Act III, and even then from offstage, Sarah Dufresne, with her beguiling soprano, leaves quite an impression as the Voice from Heaven.

    • Two other soloists that merit a mention, firstly Canadian soprano Sarah Dufresne who plays the very aptly named “Voice from heaven,” given her divine performance. She is heard at the end of the third act where she sings “Volate verso il ciel, volate, povere alme, volate a goder la pace del Signore.” A single passage, but sung with such sweet, angelic intonation that it compels one to wish to hear more.

    • Sarah Dufresne offered a truly celestial Voice from Heaven.

    • Ella Taylor made a strong impression; as did the fresh, pure strong Voice from Heaven, Jette Parker Artist Sarah Dufresne, who keeps on impressing (most notably as Tusnelda in Handel’s Arminio recently). The Voice from Heaven’s contribution is markedly short in Don Carlo, but Dufresne certainly made it count.

  • Arminio

    Linbury - Royal Opera House
    Apr 2023 - May 2023

    • Of the four Jette Parker singers last night, Sarah Dufresne stood out for me, with a truly stunning pure soprano, seemingly effortless throughout her range in a role that could have been written for her.

    • Of the singers, soprano Sarah Dufresne is particularly gifted with a voice of many colours and really musical phrasing. She has already made her mark at Covent Garden in the title role of Benjamin Britten's Rape of Lucretia, and is absolutely an artist to watch. Here she plays the loyal and courageous wife of Arminio, a Germanian prince raised in Rome who rebels against his country's imperial invaders.