Biography
French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne is acclaimed for the vocal agility and expressive power of her dark-hued tone, focusing on the works of Berlioz, Mozart, and Rossini. The Independent recently said, “Julie Boulianne’s Marguerite is gloriously sung, her sound replete with grace and power.” In the 23/24 season, Ms. Boulianne will return to the Wiener Staatsoper to sing Mère Marie in Dialogues des Carmélites, Irene in Theodora in a new production with Theater an der Wien, Nicklausse in Les contes d’Hoffmann with Opéra Royal Wallonie-Liège, and Roméo in Bellini’s Capuleti e i Montecchi with Opéra national de Lorraine. In concert, she returns to the Orchestra Symphonique de Montréal for Berlioz’s L’enfance du Christ, Mozart’s Mass in C with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Requiems of Fauré and Duruflé with Les violons du Roy, Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 with Seattle Opera, and Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon.
Read moreReviews
“But it’s French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Boulianne who is the one to watch – Rossini’s endless coloratura is a killer, yet she rips through ornamentation like a carving knife. Her voice has both sweetness and bite, with hints of darker and deeper notes to come, all boding well for meatier roles down the line.”
“Julie Boulianne made Angelina a girl of honesty and spirit, ready to battle for her right to go to the ball and to forgive her obnoxious family. Her warm, flexible mezzo came into its own in her final, triumphant rondo.”
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“Julie Boulianne, a mezzo-soprano, brought a rich, beautifully rounded tone to a duet and an aria (‘Adieu, fière cité’) from the Berlioz, and to a moving, wrenchingly characterized account of ‘When I am laid in earth’ (and the scene preceding it) from the Purcell.”
Allan Kozinn, The New York Times
“Boulianne’s refined and elegant vocalism suited the put-upon Cinderella. Boulianne brought a touching intimacy to her opening aria ‘Una volta c’era un re’ and displayed facility with the coloratura bravura of the concluding ‘Non più mesta.’ Physically, the petite mezzo looked the part completely, with a waifish, vulnerable presence that underlined Cinderella’s melancholy. She later assumed the throne with quiet, self-possessed dignity.”
Lawrence A. Johnson, The Miami Herald
“The mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne gives a beautifully understated performance as his dying wife [in Ned Rorem’s Our Town].”
Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times
“It was to the audience’s benefit, though. Boulianne possessed a beautiful control of her voice, both in melody and volume for the hall, Laurel Heights United Methodist Church.”
“The one compelling reason to see ‘La Cenerentola,’ the Aspen Opera Theater Center’s first offering of the summer, is the mezzo-soprano singing the title role. Beg, borrow or steal to get a ticket for Julie Boulianne’s final performance at 7 p.m. Sunday in the Wheeler Opera House. She is the real deal… she sailed through her moments, big and small, and created a character sweet and innocent enough to justify the subtitle Rossini and his librettist, Jacopo Ferretti, appended to this very Italian version of the Cinderella story: ‘Or Goodness Triumphant.’ Boulianne has the presence to command the stage without histrionics, often by standing there with a gentle smile. She opens her mouth and the sound comes out unforced, ‘Nacqui all’affano’ in the final act. In interacting with the other singers, she seems a model of generous attention and consistently conjures up a feeling of reality. Only a first-year student at Juilliard, the French Canadian already has sang starring roles at l’Opéra Montréal—Rosina in Rossini’s ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’ and Annio in Mozart’s ‘La Clemenza di Tito.’ Aspen is fortunate to be hearing her at this stage of her career, much as audiences might remember fondly the likes of Renée Fleming and Susanne Mentzer when they sang here before becoming stars.”
Harvey Steiman, Aspen Times
“As Isolier, Julie Boulianne displayed a truly lush lyric mezzo-soprano with a formidably large and secure top.”
Fred Cohn, Opera News
“Julie Boulianne, as the page Isolier, who loves the countess, also sang with a round fullness.”
Anne Midgette, The New York Times
“The way French-Canadian mezzo Julie Boulianne set the scene for Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet in a long and hugely demanding solo was even more remarkable: I have never heard a more ravishing vocal command of the Albert Hall’s problematic acoustic.”
Michael Church, Independent
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