Corona Serenades: Q&A with Dominic Veilleux, baryton-bass (Canada)

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Meet Dominic Veilleux, bass-baritone, singer for Corona Serenades, (Canada)

How has the pandemic affected you?

Like most people in artistic fields, I saw all my contracts cancelled one after the other. The advantage of having all this free time is that I’ve really been able to concentrate on my technique and take time to reconnect with my voice. We live very quickly, contract after contract, and we sometimes risk forgetting why we do this in the first place. So, the pandemic has had a positive impact on me, as it has allowed me to make use of this time to refocus and take care of myself and my voice.

I also started exploring the study of wine, a field of infinite things to learn. When it is safe to do so, I plan to participate in harvests at a French vineyard.

What are your 5 favorite operas?

Don Giovanni (!!!) and all of Mozart’s operas, because they’re genius! La Bohème, for its veracity, Gianni Schicchi, for the silliness and laughter, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Britten, for the fantasy and the magical music, and Il Barbiere di Siviglia, for the frenetic rhythms of Rossini.

What films, television shows and books would you recommend during this period of confinement?

I binge watched La casa de papel during isolation, and I can’t recommend it enough. I couldn’t stop, and I can’t wait for season 5 to be available online! Friends, with its 10 season, is also a great way to pass the time (and is time well spent!).

What other pastimes would you recommend?

Reading, long walks, and cooking!

Why did you join the Corona Serenades?

Because the beauty of music is in its ability to touch people directly, and what better way to do that than by sending them personalized videos! I strongly believe in the power of music as an agent of healing, and I think this initiative is exactly what people need during this emotionally challenging time.

Biography

Bass Baritone Dominic Veilleux is a graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Québec, where he studied with Sonia Racine, and from l’Université de Montréal. Where he studied under the instruction of Catherine Sévigny.

Since 2011, Dominic has been a member of the chorus at Opera de Québec. He made his debut as a soloist in the role of the servant in their 2014 production of Macbeth. In October of the same year, he was awarded the role of D’Estillac in The Merry Widow. Since then, he has sung the roles of the First Priest (The Magic Flute), Marco (Gianni Schicchi), Fiorello (The Barber of Seville), and of the Marquis d’Obigny (La Traviata). Dominic has also appeared in three iterations of the Brigade lyrique, as part of the Festival d’opera de Quebec, as well as having been a member of the chorus in the festival’s productions of The Tempest and La Damnation de Faust.

In the summer of 2014, Dominic travellend to Lucca, Italy, to assume the Title role in La Nozze di Figaro, in a production presented by l’Accademia Europa dell’opera. He was invited to play Figaro again in June of 2015, with the Toronto Summer Opera Workshio, under the direction of pianist Luke Housner. In June of 2016, he, he returned to sing the title role of Don Giovanni. In 2017, Dominic took part in the Prague Summer Nights Festival, under the artistic direction of baritone Sherill Milnes, to interpret the role of Papgeno (Die Zauberflöte), for which he received critical acclaim.

In concert, Dominic has interpreted Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle with the Choeur polyphonique de Charlevoix, Fauré’s Requiem with the Ensemble de musique sacrée de Quebec, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with l’Orchestre symphonique de Lévis and the Choeur du vallon, to name a few.

In the 2020-2021 season, Dominic will participate in creations of Chants Libres, L’orangeraie, and will be a young artist in Calgary Opera’s Emerging Artists Program.