Ensemble La Cigale, Madeleine Owen & Myriam Leblanc
Biography Ensemble La Cigale, Madeleine Owen & Myriam Leblanc
Myriam Leblanc
Holder of a master’s degree in choral conducting from Université de Sherbrooke and graduate of McGill University, Myriam Leblanc gained immediate attention and awards, including First Prize and the People’s Choice Award at the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières Competition, Jeune Ambassadrice Lyrique (Prix Québec-Bavière), Audience Choice Award at the Canadian Opera Company’s Centre Stage Competition, Third Prize at the Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries contest, recipient of an annual scholarship of excellence from the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and First Prize in the Mathieu- Duguay Early Music Competition at the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival.
A versatile artist, Myriam Leblanc works in the classical sphere as well as in bel canto and Baroque repertoire. She is recognized for her warm, flexible voice and pure timbre. “A voice of rare beauty,” according to La Presse critic Caroline Rodgers. She demonstrates both great technical mastery and exquisite musical expression.
Recent performances as a soloist include Milica in Sokolović’s Svadba with Opéra de Montréal, Micaela in Bizet’s Carmen with Opéra de Québec, the title role of Gilda in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Opéra de Montréal, Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 2, “Lobgesang” with the Orchestre Métropolitain, and Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Les Violons du Roy.
Ensemble La Cigale
The cicada develops slowly, secretly, over a period of years before presenting itself in style with a song that everyone can hear and appreciate. In the well-known fable, the ants belittled the cicada for doing nothing but sharing its music. Perhaps they forgot how the cicada’s song lightened their labour and allowed them to dream, to rejoice, to love, and also to weep… Formed in Montréal in 2006, Ensemble La Cigale takes its name from this most musical insect and is pleased to share its music with anyone who would like to listen. La Cigale specializes in music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras on period instruments. The group presents original programs that blend formal and popular styles and bring to light littleknown masterpieces. The ensemble’s first CD, Tiorba Obbligata, showcases the theorbo as an obbligato instrument, features several world premiere recordings, and was nominated in Québec for a Prix Opus. A second album, Up in the Morning Early, was released to critical acclaim in 2017. La Cigale performs frequently in Canada and Mexico and has played concerts on a mountainside, in a modern art gallery, in a beauty salon, and in a Mexican prison.
