Praised for “his massively deep bass resonating with stentorian authority” and “his magnetic stage presence”, French Canadian bass Alain Coulombe is one of the most commanding and exciting singers of his generation. Admired for his musical and dramatic versatility, as well as for his unique basso profondo voice, Mr. Coulombe is a favourite of critics and public alike, his passion for the singer-actor’s craft having won him international acclaim over the years.
An alumni member of l’Opéra de Montréal, the Canadian Opera Company and the Tanglewood Music Center’s Young Artists Programs, Alain has completed his vocal training with Marlena Malas and the late French Canadian baritone Robert Savoie, and he has worked with outstanding conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Richard Bradshaw, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Hervé Niquet, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Jonathan Darlington, Timothy Vernon, Helmut Rilling, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Bernard Labadie, Paul Nader, Edoardo Muller and Richard Bonynge.
During the 2011/12 season, Mr. Coulombe will take part in two World Premieres: he will be First World War hero Lieutenant Gordon Muriel Flowerdew, in the opera MARY’S WEDDING by Andrew MacDonald and Stephen Massicotte (Pacific Opera Victoria) and he wil be making his European opera debut personifying the legendary Clark Gable, in Robin de Raaff’s second opera commission for the Netherlands Opera, WAITING FOR MISS MONROE. Mr.Coulombe will also be Count Ceprano and the cover for the role of Sparafucile in RIGOLETTO (Canadian Opera Company), as well as Don Fernando in FIDELIO (Edmonton Opera). On the concert stage, he will be Marcel in LES HUGUENOTS (Toronto Opera In Concert), guest soloist at l’Opéra de Montréal’s OPERA GALA and with the National Orchestra of Spain in L’ENFANCE DU CHRIST by Berlioz.
Alain’s 2010/11 opera calendar included two productions of AIDA; he was the King of Egypt (Canadian Opera Company) as well as Ramfis (Calgary Opera Association). He was also Sparafucile in RIGOLETTO (Michigan Opera Theatre), Le Bailli in WERTHER (Opéra de Montréal), as well as bass soloist in Verdi’s REQUIEM (Vancouver Symphony).
During the 2009/10 season, he was Oroveso in NORMA (Vancouver Opera), Le Comte des Grieux in MANON (Ottawa Opera Lyra), Il Commendatore in DON GIOVANNI (Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal), Zuniga in CARMEN (Canadian Opera Company, Manitoba Opera, Vancouver Opera), as well as Montano in OTELLO (Canadian Opera Company). On the concert stage, he performed at the Vancouver Opera’s 50th Anniversary Gala, as bass soloist in Beethoven’s NINTH SYMPHONY (Orchestre Symphonique de l’Estuaire), as well as in Mozart’s REQUIEM (Pasadena Symphony).
In recent years, he marked more acclaimed performances in the roles of Sarastro in THE MAGIC FLUTE, Count Ilya Rostov in WAR AND PEACE and The Priest in LADY MACBETH OF MTSENSK (Canadian Opera Company), Raimondo in LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR (Cincinnati Opera, Opéra de Montréal), Collatinus in THE RAPE OF LUCRETIA (Opéra de Montréal, Pacific Opera Victoria) and Sparafucile in RIGOLETTO (Pacific Opera Victoria). He was also Oroveso in NORMA(Pacific Opera Victoria), Seneca in L’INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA (Cleveland Opera, Toronto Opera Atelier, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra), Lignière in the World Premiere of David DiChiera’s CYRANO (Michigan Opera Theatre), Colline in LA BOHÈME(Edmonton Opera, Opéra de Québec), Créon in Charpentier’s MÉDÉEand Hidraot in Lully’s ARMIDE(Toronto Opera Atelier, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra).
Recently, on the concert stage, Mr.Coulombe was Tiresias in OEDIPUS REX (Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal), Pater profundus in Mahler’s EIGHTH SYMPHONY (Brott Music Festival), Nourabad inLES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES and Arkel in PELLÉAS ET MÉLISANDE (MusicFest Vancouver, Vancouver Opera), as well as Le Roi de Trèfles in L’AMOUR DES TROIS ORANGES (Toronto Opera In Concert). He was also bass soloist in Christos Hatzis’ KYRIE (CBC radio), Schubert’s A FLAT MASS (CBC radio, CBC orchestra, MusicFest Vancouver), Vivaldi’s DIXIT DOMINUS (National Ballet of Canada) and in Mozart’s REQUIEM(Elora Festival, Orchestra London, Symphony Orchestras of Windsor, Thunder Bay, Victoria and Edmonton).
Having sung Phinée in the live DVD production of Lully’s PERSÉEunder EuroArts (Toronto Opera Atelier, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra) and performed in Berlioz’s L’ENFANCE DU CHRIST(Boston Symphony, Dresdner Philharmonie), Alain appeared as Leporello alongside Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Don Giovanni in concert (George Weston Recital Hall), and was featured as Masetto in the Gemini winning Rhombus Media film DON GIOVANNI UNMASKED, again starring Hvorostovsky.
His recording credits include Ravel’s L’ENFANT ET LES SORTILÈGES (Prague Symphony Orchestra, Théâtre Sans Fil), Harry Somers’ SERINETTE, CHURA CHURAM and THE DEATH OF ENKIDU (Centrediscs Records), the World Premiere of David DiChiera’s CYRANO (Michigan Opera Theatre), the soundtrack of Rhombus Media’s movie DON GIOVANNI UNMASKED(CBC Records), as well as numerous live radio broadcasts of opera performances and concerts across North America.
September 2011