Nicole Lorange

Lorange, Nicole

(Marie Thérèse Rolande) Nicole Lorange. Soprano, b Montreal 28 Nov 1942; M MUS (Montreal) 1965. She began her studies privately with Roger Filiatrault, continuing at the École Vincent-d'Indy with Pierrette Alarie, Louise André, Bernard Diamant, Filiatrault, and Roy Royal. On a grant from the Canada Council 1966-70, she studied stage techniques with Herman Geiger-Torel in Toronto while working with Ernesto Vinci at the RCMT. In 1967 she continued her studies at the Academy of Music, Vienna, with Alexandre Kohlau, Wolfgang Steinbruck, and Erik Werba. Her many scholarships include one from the Ladies' Morning Musical Club in 1963 and several from the JMC (YMC). On 22 Apr 1963 she was a soloist at the 100th Sarah Fischer Concert, and in the summer of 1964, she was a JMC delegate to the 5th Zimriya Choral Festival in Tel Aviv. In 1965 she won the MSO Concours. In 1966 she made her opera debut as Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann at the PDA. She sang Desdemona in Otello (1968-9) at the Linz Opera, Musetta in La Bohème (1972) with the COC in Toronto, Leonora in La Forza del Destino (1975) in Mahon in the Balearic Islands, Giulietta and Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann (1975) in Dublin, and Nedda in Pagliacci at the Barcelona Gran Teatro del Liceo with Placido Domingo in 1976. She was a soloist with the MSO in 1979 and 1982, and sang the title role in Tosca for the Opéra de Montréal's seven inaugural performances at the PDA in October 1980. The day following the premiere, Claude Gingras wrote: 'She performs with great sincerity and projects a powerful and expressive voice' (Montreal La Presse, 8 Oct 1980). She made her Metropolitan Opera debut 3 Feb 1983 in the title role of Cilea's Adrianna Lecouvreur. Also for the Met she made six tours in the USA and Mexico, repeating the Cilea role and also singing the title roles in Madama Butterfly and Zandonai's Francesca da Rimini, and Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. In 1984 she again sang with Placido Domingo in a concert in Málaga, Spain. She sang Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana with the Opéra de Montréal in 1985, and the title role in Manon Lescaut in Tucson, Ariz, in 1986. In 1988 she participated in a tour of China with a US company. She also has sung at the Concerts Populaires at the Maurice Richard Arena and at the Festival international de Lanaudière.