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Gosselin, Roger
Roger Gosselin. Bass, director, administrator, b Drummondville, Que, 4 Mar 1919. At St-Frédéric College, Drummondville, he studied violin, trumpet, and french horn 1924-34. He played french horn in the local concert band 1933-8, was violinist in the Drummondville SO, and soloist in the parish choir 1936-40. Moving to Montreal, he studied voice 1940-3 and was a navigator with the RCAF 1942-5. In Paris in 1947 he continued his singing lessons with Mme Louis Fourestier and took stage techniques with Georges Wague.
In 1948 Gosselin made his debut at the Grand Théâtre of Cherbourg as Mephisto in Faust. His European career spanned the years 1948-58 and included some 1500 performances of operas and operettas in France, Italy, and North Africa. In 1952 at the Gaîté-Lyrique in Paris he sang in Francis Lopez' Andalousie opposite Gise Mey. He taught voice technique and stage techniques 1954-8 in Paris. Jacques Labrecque was one of his pupils.
Gosselin returned to Montreal in 1958 and served 1958-61 as artistic director for Ville d'Anjou. Settling in Quebec City in 1961, he was artistic consultant for its Winter Carnival and a founder, along with the soprano Nelly Mathot, of the Théâtre lyrique de Nouvelle-France, serving as artistic director 1961-7, supervising the production of numerous works over the years and singing a few roles. He held an administrative position at the Grand Théâtre in Quebec City until 1978. In 1976 he sang Kromsky in a production of The Merry Widow presented by the Quebec Symphony Orchestra in Quebec City and at the PDA during the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. In 1978 he staged Faust for the Société lyrique d'Aubigny. For the Opéra de Québec he staged The Tales of Hoffmann in 1991.
Gosselin's wife, Jeanne Guihard (b France, d Quebec City 1966), worked for a few seasons ca 1952-8 at the Paris Opera and sang the roles of Mallika (Lakmé, 1962) and Charlotte (Werther, 1963) in Quebec City.
Writings
'L'opéra au Québec... six pieds sous terre??' Musicien québécois, vol 1, Aug-Sep 1974, Dec-Jan 1974-5
