Sylvia Saurette

Saurette, Sylvia
Sylvia Saurette. Soprano, b Letellier, south of Winnipeg, 27 Sep 1935; diploma (École Vincent-d'Indy) 1961. She studied in Winnipeg with Cora Doig James and Doris Mills Lewis, then in Montreal at the École Vincent-d'Indy with Pierrette Alarie, Louise André, Bernard Diamant, and Roy Royal. A top award winner at the CNE in 1959, at the Kiwanis Music Festival, Toronto, in 1960, and at the Amis de l'Art competition in 1960, she also won the Prix Archambault that year and was a finalist in the CBC and JMC national competitions in 1963. With the Montreal Brass Quintet she premiered Alexander Brott's World Sophisticate in 1962. She has given many radio and TV recitals and has appeared as soloist with several symphony orchestras, including those in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec, Winnipeg, and London, Ont, and also with the McGill Chamber Orchestra. She sang Donna Anna in Don Giovanni at the 1966 Stratford Festival, and in 1968 she joined the Hambourg State Opera, where she sang supporting roles, notably in Parsifal and The Magic Flute. For personal reasons she decided to pursue her career in Canada. With the Opéra du Québec she sang in the 1971 production of Puccini's three one-act operas, Il Trittico, appearing as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and Suor Genovieffa in Suor Angelica. Subsequently she retired from the stage and then in 1983 began teaching at Laval University. Saurette, accompanied by Claude Savard, has recorded music of Roussel and Poulenc (1963, CD-JMC 3).

Author Stella Plante