Named “Female Singer of the Year” at the prestigious Opus Klassik 2022 awards, French-Italian mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre is one of the most inspiring talents of her generation. Her stagecraft and musicality have opened the doors to major international venues such as the Opéra de Paris, the Salzburg Festspiele, the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Zurich Opernhaus, and Liceu Barcelona.
Highlights still to come this season: Idamante in Idomeneo by Mozart at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the title role in Charpentier’s Médée at the Opéra de Paris, the programme Chasing Rainbow (Julie Andrews repertoire) at the Opéra de Rouen and at the Opéra-Comique, an important presence at the Festival (Timna in the world premiere of Samson by Rameau, Annio in La Clemenza di Tito by Mozart in a concert version, as well as a recital). In the summer, she is giving the programme Songs of Passion (programme Dowland/Purcell with the Jupiter Ensemble) alternating with the programme of her latest CD Idylle, in France and abroad.
These projects build on her 2022/23 season: Stephano in Roméo et Juliette (Gounod) at the Opéra national de Paris, Dido in Dido and Aeneas (Purcell) in Madrid, C minor Mass (Mozart) at the Accademia Santa Cecilia, Haydn’s Berenice che fai at the Muzikverein Wien, Cherubino Le Nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival.
Cherubino, a role in which she has established herself internationally in 7 different productions since her debut in 2021: Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Opéra de Paris, Salzburg Festival, Liceu Barcelona, Zurich Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, Ravenna Opera.
She has also appeared as Urbain in Les Huguenots (Meyerbeer) at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini) at the Rouen Opera, the title role of Alcione (Maraid)… She regularly sings at the Salzburg Festival: Despina in Cosi fan Tutte (Mozart), Annio inCLa Clemenza di Tito (Mozart), Valletto/Amore in L’Incoronazione di Poppea (Monteverdi), Venus in Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach), Abel i La Morte d’Abel (Kreutzer).
Her love of music and text has led Lea Desandre to frequently appear in concerts and recitals: at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Vienna Musikverein, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Philharmonie de Paris, Berliner Philharmoniker, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Mozarteum Salzburg, Sydney Opera House, Opéra de Bordeaux, Alice Tully Hall NYC, Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Shanghai Symphony Hall and Opéra de Versailles.
She has collaborated with international artists such as Gustavo Dudamel, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, William Christie, Myung-Whun Chung, Raphaël Pichon, Adam Fischer, Joana Mallwitz, Carlo Rizzi, Cristian Măcelaru, Manfred Honeck, Thomas Dunford, Marc Minkowski, Emmanuelle Haïm, Jordi Savall…
Lea Desandre studied with Sara Mingardo in Venice. In 2015, she joined William Christie’s Jardin des Voix Academy and the Mozart Academy of the Festival Aix-en-Provence in 2016. She was appointed « Revelation lyrique » at the Victoires de la Musique Classique in 2017 and won the HSBC Prize in 2018.
In addition to her training as a singer, she practised ballet for 12 years.
