Hélène Fortin

Fortin, Hélène

Hélène Fortin. Soprano, b Dolbeau, Lac-St-Jean, Que, 2 July 1959, d Québec City, 26 October 2008; B MUS (Laval) 1985, M MUS (Laval) 1987. Hélène Fortin studied at Laval University with Louise André and received further training from Jane Randolph in California. Recipient of the 1986 Prix Raoul-Jobin, she also took first prize at the Canadian Music Competitions that same year and won the Journées de la musique française competition in 1989. A member of the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, she sang several roles including Adèle in Die Fledermaus, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Despina in Così fan tutte, Anna in The Merry Wives of Windsor, and the coloratura parts in L'Enfant et les sortilèges. She made her debut with the Opéra de Montréal in 1989 as Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites, also presented in Edmonton the following year. For the Montreal company she also sang the roles of Olympia in Les Contes d'Hoffmann (1990), of Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier (1991), and of Gilda in Rigoletto (1991). She appeared in the title role of Donizetti's Rita ou le mari battu at the 1989 Montreal International Music Festival. She made her US debut in 1991 as Adèle in Die Fledermaus with the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee. In concert, Fortin sang Handel's Messiah with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra in 1988, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 with the NACO, Haydn's Creation with the Orchestre métropolitain, both in 1989, and Haydn's Nelsonmesse with the Charleston (NC) SO in 1990.