Praised for her “dramatic intensity,” “smoky middle register,” (Opera Today) and “powerful, full voice” (InsideOberlin), Nicole Lévesque hails from the CT/NY/NJ tri-state area and currently resides in the Washington, DC area. A former dancer, Ms. Lévesque was granted the Dean’s Talent Award to attend Oberlin Conservatory where she studied voice with Lorraine Manz. In 2014, she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Oberlin Conservatory and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Oberlin College. She continued her studies at the University of Maryland’s Maryland Opera Studio, where she studied under the tutelage of Delores Ziegler and received a Master of Music in Opera Performance.
Praised for her “dramatic intensity,” “smoky middle register,” (Opera Today) and “powerful, full voice” (InsideOberlin), Nicole Lévesque hails from the CT/NY/NJ tri-state area and currently resides in the Washington, DC area. A former dancer, Ms. Lévesque was granted the Dean’s Talent Award to attend Oberlin Conservatory where she studied voice with Lorraine Manz. In 2014, she graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Voice from Oberlin Conservatory and a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature from Oberlin College. She continued her studies at the University of Maryland’s Maryland Opera Studio, where she studied under the tutelage of Delores Ziegler and received a Master of Music in Opera Performance.
Ms. Lévesque’s performances have included a “magnetic” Ernesto/Il mondo della luna, a “bone-dry and alluring” Prince Orlofsky/Die Fledermaus (Cleveland Classical), Hänsel/Hänsel und Gretel, Nancy/Albert Herring, Zweite Dame/Die Zauberflöte, Beppe/L’amico Fritz, Mdme de la Haltière/Cendrillon and a “fiery” Donna Elvira/Don Giovanni (The Diamondback). She appeared most recently as the eponymous character in Marc Blitzstein’s Regina, and "demonstrated great vocal prowess and a remarkable range…. a decadent anti-heroine” (DC Metro Theatre Arts). Ms. Lévesque has also appeared in various scenes performances as Charlotte/Werther, Desdemona/Otello, Der Komponist/Ariadne auf Naxos, Angelina/La Cenerentola, Fidalma/Il matrimonio segreto, Dorabella/Così fan tutte, and Jo/Little Women. Ms. Lévesque has also frequently appeared as a soloist with Annapolis Opera’s concert series, as well as with the Institut Canadien d'Art Vocal.
In the last few years, Ms. Lévesque has had the privilege of appearing in Master Classes with Marilyn Horne, Mildred Miller, Dalton Baldwin, Judith Forst, Joan Dornemann, Gordon Hawkins, and Maestro Antony Walker. |
She has a vested interest in art song performance as well as operatic performance, and made her Lincoln Center debut in 2016 as the Metropolitan International Music Festival’s Grand Prize Winner of the Art Song division. Since then, she has had the opportunity to perform myriad art song concerts, including concerts of Maurice Ravel's Deux mélodies Hébraïques, 5 Mélodies populaires grecques, 3 Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, and Shéhérazade, as well as a concert of music by Samuel Barber for the Epiphany Tuesday Concert Series in Washington, DC. Ms. Lévesque also has a great interest in performing new works. In 2012 she was invited to collaborate with Oberlin Conservatory composition professor Tom Lopez on creating a new piece, Lament pour Reja-vu, later performed as part of Oberlin Conservatory's Illumination Tour to New York, NY. She also recently appeared in a leading role in Family Reunion, a new opera composed for the Maryland Opera Studio by Chris Patton.
A frequent competitor, Ms. Lévesque is grateful to have been awarded 2nd Prize in the annual competitions of Annapolis Opera (2017) and Opera Connecticut (2016), as well as in the Institut Canadien d'Art Vocal's "La Voix est juste!" competition concert (2016). She was also honored to have been awarded Audience Choice awards from the audiences at ICAV (2016, 2nd place) and Annapolis Opera (2017). Ms. Lévesque now lives and works in the DC area and studies with mezzo-soprano Delores Ziegler. |