ABOUT
VANESSA
Dominick Gravel Photography
Canadian soprano Vanessa Croome’s curiosity for repertoire both new and old paired with a dynamic stage-presence has launched her into the world of classical music. Described as “an incredible vocal talent...moved us to tears” (Ludwig Van Montreal), Vanessa is quickly building a name for herself on the operatic stage and in the world of new music.
Winner of the Opéra de Montréal Prix Étoile Stingray, Vanessa is an artist in residence with the house for the 2021-2022 season. In November, Vanessa will make her concert debut with Orchestre Metropolitain performing works by Strauss and Donizetti. Later this season she will appear in concert with Orchestre de L'Agora, and Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville. Other recent performance highlights include Barbarina (Le nozze di Figaro), Morgana (Alcina), Cunégonde (Candide), and Miles (The Turn of the Screw).
In 2020, Vanessa debuted the role of Léa for the virtual world premiere of Laurence Jobidon's L’hiver attend beaucoup de moi at Opéra de Montréal to audiences across Canada. A broadcast which was the first of its kind for Opéra de Montréal. Also during the 2020-2021 season, Vanessa had the chance to appear both virtually and in concert with Orchestra de L’Agora performing the soprano solo in Mahler’s 4th Symphony under the baton of Nicolas Ellis.
Vanessa received early training at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as a Gerdine Young Artist, and as a cover on the world premiere of An American Soldier with the festival. She holds a Masters degree in Voice & Opera from McGill University and a Bachelor’s of Music from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She has appeared on Masterclasses with Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Marilyn Horne, Michael McMahon, Wolfgang Holzmair, and Liz Upchurch. Vanessa was a finalist for the Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Competition and the Elizabeth Wirth Vocal Prize.
A proud collaborator with community-based teams, Vanessa works often with organizations performing outreach and educational concerts. Her happy place is next to a piano using opera and song as a storytelling medium for today's complex world.
Vanessa’s training in the USA and Canada was generously supported by the British Columbia Arts Council.
ROLES
Bernstein: Cunégonde / Candide
Britten: Miss Wordsworth / Albert Herring
Donizetti: Corilla / Viva la Mamma
Handel: Morgana / Alcina
Jobidon: Léa/ L'hiver attend beaucoup de moi +
Mozart: Barbarina/ Le nozze di Figaro
Pamina/ Die Zauberflöte
Ruo, Huang: Josephine Young* / An American Soldier +
Schönberg: Cosette / Les Misérables
(*) Cover (+) World Premiere
CONCERT & CHAMBER
Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915
Chausson: Chanson Perpétuelle, Op. 37
Fauré: Requiem in D minor, Op. 48
Honegger: Le Roi David (Soprano soloist)
Mahler: Symphony Nº 4, IV: "Wir genießen die himmlischen Freuden"
Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70 (#7, 28, 35 soloist)
SONG
Copland: Four Early Songs
Debussy: Quatre chansons de jeunesse
Fêtes galantes, L.86 Book I
Larsen: Songs from Letters
Poulenc: Fiançailles pour rire
Deux poèmes de Louis Aragon
Métamorphoses