Caroline Meng

Australian Hometown:
Education: National Conservatory of Paris

PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

Guest Soloist, Mezzo-Soprano Caroline Meng

After winning piano and chamber music awards at the National Conservatory of Paris, the French mezzo-soprano Caroline Meng studied with Malcolm Walker, receiving her “Diploma in Voice” in 2007. She was also invited to attend master classes with Jennifer Larmore, Veronica Cangemi and Sylvie Valayre.

Since then, Caroline Meng has performed in a variety of musical forms and styles ranging from opera to recital and sacred concerts, baroque to contemporary music, both in France and abroad.

She made her professional debut in 2009 singing the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Royal Versailles Opera, as well as on tour, under the direction of David Stern.

Operatic roles since have included Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte (also conducted by David Stern), the title role in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, St. Gallen in Switzerland and the Rouen Opera, the first and second witch and second woman in the same opera at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Royal Versailles Opera and the Bozar in Brussels (recorded for DVD), Ismene in Telemann’s Orpheus at the Magdeburg Opera, Bellezza and Hero in Cavalli’s Egisto at the Opéra Comique, Paris, Rouen Opera and the Opera of Luxembourg under the direction of Vincent Dumestre, Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola under the baton of Edmon Colomer and Glasa in Janáček’s Katya Kabanova under the direction of Alexander Briger, both at the Opera of Toulon.

From 2015-17, she sang the role of the Fox in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen for the Arcal in Paris, Besançon and Reims, Cesonia in Pagliardi’s Caligula for the Poème Harmonique, conducted by Vincent Dumestre, at the Bastille Opera, Paris and on tour in Bruges (also recorded for DVD), as well as making her debut at the Marseille Opera with Fiodor in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godounov under Paolo Arrivabeni.

A regular with the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Italy and France, she has sung the mezzo role in their productions of Le Ventre de Paris in Venice, Milan and Paris, performances and CD productions of Fairy Tales alongside soprano Jodie Devos in Venice, Paris and Montreal and Gounod’s Mass of Saint-Louis-des-Français and Sacred Hymn under Hervé Niquet and the Brussels Philharmonic, and most recently the role of Mademoiselle Herpin in Messager’s Les P’tites Michu in Nantes and Paris.

On the concert platform, Caroline Meng has sung as soloist in Mehul’s Mass under François-Xavier Roth at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Concert of the Night with Sébastien Daucé and his “Ensemble Correspondances” in Versailles, as well as on tour in London, Belgium and China (recorded for CD with Harmonia Mundi), Schubert’s Rosamunde at Opera of Limoges, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s B minor Mass and Trauermusik, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Duruflé’s Requiem at churches such as at the Notre Dame, Saint Sulpice, Saint Eustache and The Madeleine in Paris.

In recital, she regularly collaborates with pianist Fériel Kaddour, and has sung for such festivals as the Geneva Gala, the Amman Festival in Jordan, Chaise Dieu Festival, Moscow Festival, Bruges and Gent Festivals in Belgium and at the Sierre Castle in Switzerland.

Passionate about contemporary music, Caroline Meng has sung and recorded many new works, including Thierry Machuel’s Psalm, conducted by Laurence Equilbey (Naïve CD), the Deux visages with saxophonist Jean-Pierre Baraglioli (Daphaneo CD), Mémoire de harpes, created by Frédérique Cambreling and produced by IRCAM.

Alongside her performances as a singer, Caroline Meng is leader of the CRR of Paris and belongs to the teaching team of the “Sotto Voce” Children’s Choir at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

Last updated 2018