She studied voice with Mme Fouilhé in Algiers. She appeared for the
first time on the concert stage in Algiers in 1952 and continued her studies at
the Paris Conservatoire National (Academy of Music) with Charles Panzéra,
Louis Noguéra and Jean Giraudeau. Her stage debut took place in 1956 at
the Opera House in Nancy in Le juif polonais (The Polish Jew) by Camille
Erlanger. Thereafter, she appeared in the larger French opera houses; she sang
in Nice, Bordeaux, Mulhouse, Nantes, Marseille, Metz, Liège and Geneva.
In Nice she sang with the Belgian baritone Julien Haas to whom she was later
married. She made a brilliant debut at the Opéra de Paris as Violetta in
La Traviata. Thereafter, she scored many successes in that house as well
as at the Opéra-Comique.At the latter house she was admired in the title
role of Madame Bovary by Bondeville.
She was considered one of the
most gifted coloratura sopranos of her generation in France; the outstanding
roles in her repertoire are Violetta, Massenet's Manon, Mireille and Marguerite
in Faust. She was also a superb interpreter of French songs,
particularly those of Chausson. She was in the cast of the world premiere of
Chevalier de neige by Delerue in Nancy in 1958 and in that of Andrea
del Sarto by Daniel Lesur in Marseille. In addition, she had a significant
career as an operetta singer.
Recordings : For Pathé Philine in Mignon
by Tomas, Medea by Cherubini (opposite Rita Gorr). For Decca Les
dragons de Villars by Maillart. For Bourg Records
Persée et Andromède by Ibert. For BJR Sigurd by
Reyer. For Le chant du monde Recital, Mireille by Gounod, Sigurd
by Reyer. For Solstice
Les caprices de Marianne by Sauguet. For EMI, Lieder.
We are pleased to present her here in Sigurd