Newswire | Jennifer Szeto Becomes the New Director of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal

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Montreal, Feb. 21 – Opéra de Montréal is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Szeto as Director of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, succeeding Chantal Lambert who will retire at the end of June 2023, after more than 32 years at the helm of the Atelier lyrique.

Jennifer is a professional with solid expertise and exceptional dedication, with a strong vision of how we can support the growth of our artists and help them pursue rewarding careers in an ever-evolving art form. A regular guest coach at the Opéra de Montréal and McGill Opera, Ms. Szeto has been involved in the musical direction of over 40 opera productions, collaborating with dozens of companies, universities, and artist development programs. She is a sought-after speaker and facilitator in the field of artist training and new work development.

About

Praised for her “immense sweetness and precision that seemed to be flawless” (L’Opéra revue québécoise), “rock-solid rhythm… a great variety of color” (Bachtrack) and “amazing versatility” (Opera Ramblings), Montreal-based pianist Jennifer Szeto is carving out a dynamic path as a performer, coach, educator, and arts administrator.

Jennifer is a graduate of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellowship, the Merola Opera Program, Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, and Atelier Lyrique at Opéra de Montréal. Recent roles include music director in the world premiere of Laurence Jobidon and Pascale St-Onge’s L’hiver attend beaucoup de moi at Opéra de Montréal in a collaboration with Théâtre Espace GO with direction by Solène Paré, head coach in George Benjamin’s Written on Skin at Opéra de Montréal with conductor Nicole Paiement (Canadian premiere production), and assistant conductor for John Estacio’s Ours with Opera on the Avalon with conductor Judith Yan. Elsewhere, she is a staff coach at Opera McGill, University of Ottawa, and Highlands Opera Studio in Haliburton, ON.

In her role as a co-founder of Musique 3 Femmes, she facilitates the Mécénat Musica Prix 3 Femmes – a $50,000 biennial prize that supports the creation of operas by emerging female composers and librettists through seed funding for new operas, mentorship, and workshops. The award – now in its second edition – fosters the next generation of Canadian female opera creators and has enabled the creation of 8 new Canadian operas written by women composers and librettists.

Jennifer holds a M.Mus. in Piano Accompaniment from McGill University, a B.Mus Performance from University of Toronto, and has received additional training from SongFest and the Franz Schubert Institut in Baden-bei-Wien, Austria.

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