Nora Sourouzian: A Captivating Voice at the Service of Opera

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Nora Sourouzian, a Franco-Canadian mezzo-soprano of Armenian descent, is a captivating artist celebrated for her rich, expressive vocal instrument and compelling stage presence.

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Her established repertoire encompasses a diverse range of significant roles, including Azucena, Amneris, Eboli, Bouillon, Adalgisa, Jezibaba, and Charlotte. Ms. Sourouzian's compelling interpretation of Carmen has graced over 20 productions at esteemed international opera houses, such as the Welsh National Opera in Cardiff, Opéra du Châtelet in Paris, the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo, the opera houses of Cologne, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, the opera houses of Quebec, the Palm Beach Opera, and the New National Theatre in Tokyo.

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Her exceptional talent has led to engagements at leading opera houses worldwide, including the Seattle Opera (Azucena), the Royal Danish Opera in Copenhagen (Amneris), Essen (Eboli), the Bellas Artes in Mexico (Marguerite), the Teatro Massimo di Palermo (Dulcinée), the Komische Oper Berlin (Jezibaba), The Bard Festival NY (Marfa in Dvořák's Dimitrij), the Leipzig Opera (Adalgisa), and the Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Callas, Phaedra). Furthermore, she has been invited to perform principal roles at the opera houses in Zurich, Geneva, Strasbourg, Amsterdam, and Montreal.

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Emblematic Roles and Varied Repertoire:

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As a native French speaker, Ms. Sourouzian is recognized as a significant interpreter of principal roles in operas by Massenet, Thomas (Mignon), Théodore Dubois (Aben Hamet), Fauré (Pénélope), and Mariotte. As a lied singer, she is frequently sought after for her "Mélodie Française" program.

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Memorable Performances:

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As a concert singer, she is particularly known for her interpretations of Mahler's works, such as the poignant "Lied von der Erde" and the profound 3rd Symphony, as well as for the subtlety of her singing in the "Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen." Her interpretation of Schönberg's "Lied der Waldtaube" from the Gurrelieder is also remarkable. She masterfully performs Berlioz's "Les Nuits d'été," Wagner's "Wesendonck-Lieder," as well as Frank Martin's cycle "Le Cornet" and his oratorio Golgotha. She has also performed Verdi's Requiem in multiple venues across Europe.

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Recent Engagements:

 

In the 2024-25 season, she opened with Azucena in Il trovatore at the Staatstheater Braunschweig, where she also appeared on stage as the Prioress Madame de Croissy in Poulenc's Dialogues des Carmélites. As part of the International May Festival in 2025, she performed Verdi's Requiem at the Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden under the direction of Leo McFall.

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Her discography includes recordings of operas and concerts, demonstrating her talent and collaborations with renowned conductors such as Paolo Carignani, Cyril Diedrich, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Jean-Claude Malgoire, Marc Minkowski, Leif Segerstam, Ed Spanjaard, Franz Welser-Möst, and Johannes Wildner.

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Nora Sourouzian has won numerous singing competitions in Canada and was a finalist at the Belvedere Competition in Vienna, which led to invitations from the world's greatest opera houses. After studying at McGill University in Montreal and attending the Young Artists Program at the Internationaal Opera Centrum Nederland in Amsterdam, Nora Sourouzian furthered her skills at the Staatstheater Kassel.

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Nora lives in Berlin for many years and is passionate about analog photography, mixing old processes with new technologies such as AI.