Sophie FOURNIER

Mezzo soprano

Sophie Fournier took the first price in Opera at the Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique in Paris, from the class of Regine Crespin.

She has also worked in some of the largest regional opera houses (e.g., Paris, Montpellier, Lyon, Nice, Lausanne, Geneva, etc.), singing mezzo-soprano roles under the direction of conductors such as Michel Plasson, Jacques Mercier, Armin Jordan, Georges Prеtre.

In the 1994-1995 season, Sophie Fournier was finalist at the Pavarotti competition in Philadelphia.

The quality of her voice allowed her to take on such roles as Fiordiligi (Cosi Fan Tutte) and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. She was invited to perform in succession the roles of Musetta (La Boheme), then Salud (La Vida Breve) and Antonia and Giulietta (Les Contes d’Hoffmann) in Nancy, Stephano (Romeo et Juliette) at the Teatro Reggio in Turin. She sang L’Amour Masque in Toulouse under the direction of Michel Plasson, and the roles of Alice Ford (Falstaff) under the direction of Christian Badea, the Comtesse (Noces de Figaro) at the Opera de Lyon, and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni) at the Opera Comique.

In 2006 she sang ‘la Voix Humaine’ at the Palau de la musica in Barcelona (dir: Edmond Colomer), as well as at the Cite de la Musique with ODIF (dir: George Pehlivanian).

The Cite de la Musique also invited her to perform Elvira (Don Diovanni) under the direction of Emanuel Krivine in 2005.

Sophie Fournier has also distinguished herself in recitals (Debussy, Faure, Duparc, Ravel at Chatelet). She has interpreted the music of Strauss, Schubert, Poulenc at the Abbaye de Royaumont, and a program of Granados at the Opera in Nancy. She has sung Ravel (Scheherazade), Poulenc, Granados, and Rossini at the Opera of Lyon.

The color and range of her voice have led her naturally toward the repertoire of a mezzo soprano, which she has just lately undertaken: Paul and Virginie from Jean-Francois Le Suer with the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra (dir: Herve Niquet). L’Amour Sorcier by De Falla and Kada Kata by Z. Kodaly under the direction of David Wroe, Chanson Perpetuelle and Il Tramonto with the musicians of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra.

After Carmen at the Opеra in Ljublana and in Tours under the musical direction of Jean-Yves Ossonce she was Carmen in "La tragedie de Carmen" with l'Ensemble Orchestral de Basse Normandie She has recorded the role of Fiordiligi under the direction of Jean-Claude Malgoire for Auvidis, and Carmen Saeculare by Philidor for Erato.

Dominique Delouche asked her to interpret La Voix Humaine by F. Poulenc under the direction of Denise Duval (creator of the role) in her film "La Voix retrouvee" Diapason d'or 2009. She has also recorded the music of Gabriel Thibaudeau for the film ‘Au Bonheur des Dames’, a black and white film by Julien Duvivier with L’Octuor de France. This coming season she will be Metella in "La Vie Parisienne" in the Opera of Toulouse and in Montpellier. About Carmen: Perfectly comfortable vocally throughout the range, Sophie Fournier captivates us with her scenic freedom, the quality of her diction, the frankness of her high notes, and her scrupulous respect for the music... She imposes unmistakably a new reading – personal and convincing – of the title role.