Marianne Crebassa

Mezzo-Soprano

Biography

Mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa’s spectacular rise in the international music displays her joy and equal ease at being on an opera stage, in a recital hall, in a recording studio or in concert.  

An exclusive recording artist with Erato, Marianne has released three albums. The latest, Séguedilles released in October 2021 featured a franco-spanish programme inspired by her Iberic roots. Oh, boy! was devoted to famous trouser roles by Mozart, Gluck, Gounod, etc. and Secrets was an eclectic choice of French and Spanish melodies with pianist Fazil Say.  

Following Oh boy! she was named Artiste Lyrique de l’année at the Victoires de la Musique, and she received a Solo Vocal Award at the Gramophone Awards for Secrets. 

 This season, she will make her role debuts as Romeo (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) at La Scala, and as Jane Seymour (Ann Boleyn) at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, as well as reprise the roles of Angelina (La Cenerentola) in Munich, Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) in Paris, followed by her debut at the Festival d’Aix en Provence.  

 On the opera stage, among her many performances, she has sung Cherubino (Le Nozze di Figaro) at the Metropolitan Opera, Stephano (Roméo et Juliette) at the Chicago Opera Theater, and Dorabella (Cosi fan tutte) in Berlin and Vienna. She has also sung the title role in Offenbach’s Fantasio at the Opéra Comique, Angelina (La Cenerentola) at the Paris Opera and La Scala, Mélisande (Pelléas et Mélisande) at the Berlin Staatsoper, Cecilio (Lucio Silla), Charlotte Salomon and Sesto (La Clemenza di Tito) in Salzburg. 

 While studying musicology, voice and piano in her hometown of Montpellier, Marianne Crebassa won praise performing Isabella (Wuthering Heights) with the Festival de Radio France and shortly after joined the Paris Opera Young Artist Program, appearing as Orphée (Orphée et Eurydice) and Ramiro (La Finta Giardiniera). A few months later, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Irene (Tamerlano). Her career was launched.  

 Marianne has performed recitals and concerts with the Festival de Saint Denis, Salzburg’s Mozart Festwochen, The Gulbenkian Foundation, the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre de Paris, the Wiener Sinfoniker, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Mostly Mozart Festival, the BBC Proms with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Wigmore Hall, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, the Elbphilharmonie and the famous Waldbuhne with the Berlin Philharmonic. She was also was invited by Daniel Barenboim to celebrate the Debussy centenary with concerts with the Staatskapelle along with a recital at the Pierre-Boulez-Saal in Berlin, where she returns in March 2022 to present a new recital programme.  

 2021-22 season 

Please note that all modifications made to this biography must be confirmed with IMG Artists before it is printed. 

Recent News

Reviews

“She brought an extraordinary, and riveting, ability to communicate through her voice – to project drama in a very compelling way; audiences were fascinated by her artistry and virtuosity.”

“Crebassa was completely absorbing throughout the twenty minutes or so these eleven songs played for.”

“This wasn’t just a faultless performance by Crebassa – it was one which drew you in from the first note of the opening ‘Asie’ to the very closing bars of ‘L’Indifférent’.”

Marc Bridle

Opera Today

“Marianne Crebassa is splendidly charismatic as Cecilio.”

George Loomis

The New York Times

“In this context, Charlotte Salomon must count as a succès d’estime – thanks largely to a clairvoyant staging by Luc Bondy and the spell cast by Marianne Crebassa, a dazzling 27-year-old with doe-eyed looks, the seductive innocence of Debussy’s Mélisande and a luscious voice that seems destined for Massenet’s Charlotte (Werther).”

Andrew Clark

Financial Times

More Reviews

“Marianne Crebassa is splendidly charismatic as Cecilio. “

George Loomis, The New York Times 

“In this context, Charlotte Salomon must count as a succès d’estime – thanks largely to a clairvoyant staging by Luc Bondy and the spell cast by Marianne Crebassa, a dazzling 27-year-old with doe-eyed looks, the seductive innocence of Debussy’s Mélisande and a luscious voice that seems destined for Massenet’s Charlotte (Werther).”

Andrew Clark, Financial Times 

“Heldin des Abends: Marianne Crebassa mit schlankem, doch substanzreichem Klang [The heroine of the evening was Marianne Crebassa, who delivered the vocal line with clean directness whilst retaining a fullness of sound.”

Christoph Irrgeher, Wiener Zeitung 

“Die Mezzoentdeckung Marianne Crebassa begeistert als Cecilio mit ihrem ebenmäßig schimmernden Timbre.[Mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa is truly a revelation. She is exciting as Cecilio, with her harmonious and bright timbre.]”

Manuel Brug, Die Welt 

“In der Hosenrolle trifft die Mezzosopranistin Marianne Crebassa mit geschmeidigen Tiefen und lichter höherer Lage genau das rechte Gegengewicht.[In the role of the transvestite, mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa creates a perfect balance by alternating smooth low notes and bright high notes.]”

Reinhard Kriechbaum, Weiner Zeitung 

“Avec une assurance justifiée par son immense talent, elle déploie dans l’air de Dulcinée toute la splendeur de son timbre (quels graves !) et une diction parfaite.[In the Dulcinée aria, she showcases the full extent of the splendour of her timbre (what beautiful low notes!) and a perfect diction, with confidence that is justified by her immense talent.]”

Laurent Bury, Forum Opéra 

“Enfin, et c’était là la révélation de la soirée, il convient de louer la voix et le timbre magnifiques de la mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa, véritable Isabella Linton, parvenant même à faire oublier que l’on était ici en présence d’une version de concert sans mise en scène.[We must praise mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa’s beautiful voice and timbre, that night’s revelation. A fantastic Isabella Linton, she somehow made the audience forget that it was a concert version without a production.]”

Vincent Haegele, Classique Info 

“Dans le rôle d’Isabella, Marianne Crebassa constitue une véritable révélation. Cette jeune mezzo-soprano au physique avenant, fraîchement issue du CRR de Montpellier, possède une voix opulente et parfaitement projetée. De plus, elle s’offre le luxe de s’accompagner elle-même au piano dans son air du troisième acte. Une artiste dont on reparlera assurément. [Marianne Crebassa is an absolute revelation in the role of Isabella. The young, attractive mezzo-soprano, a recent graduate of the Montpellier Conservatory, has a perfectly projected opulent voice. Moreover, she treats herself to the luxury of accompanying herself on the piano in the third act aria. We will definitely talk about this artist again.”

Christian Peter, Forum Opéra 

New Album

New Album

Secrets

French Songs with Fazil Say

2017,Warner Classics

‘the combination of intelligence, immediacy and subtlety is utterly compelling and marks ‘Secrets’ out as one of the finest French song recitals of recent years.’ Gramophone 2017

Listen to "Secrets" on Spotify