Share on Facebook
Share on X
Share by Email
Share on Google Classroom
Lamontagne, Gilles
Gilles (Joseph Antoine Émilien) Lamontagne. Baritone, administrator, b Montreal 21 Mar 1924, d Quebec 28 Dec 1993. He studied in Quebec City with Isa Jeynevald-Mercier, at the RCMT with Herman Geiger-Torel (stage skills), in New York with Mario Reichlin-Rubini, and in Milan with Mario Basiola. He won first prize 1947-8 in the CBC's two radio competitions, 'Singing Stars of Tomorrow' and 'Nos futures étoiles'. He went on to sing leading roles in the French and Italian operatic repertoire in Europe, North Africa, and Canada. In the summer of 1950 for the Montreal Festivals he sang Valentin in Faust at the Delorimier Stadium. In Toronto for the Opera Festival (COC) he performed the title role in Rigoletto (1950, 1954), Valentin in Faust (1951), Sharpless in Madama Butterfly (1951), Lescaut in Manon (1952), and Marcello in La Bohème (1954). He sang Méphistophélès in Faust on the CBC in 1957.
Lamontagne toured twice for the JMC (YMC): 1959-60 in joint recital with Marguerite Gignac and 1960-1 as Antonin in Maurice Blackburn'sSilent Measures and the original Michael in the same composer's Pirouette. With the Théâtre lyrique de Nouvelle-France, of which he was assistant general manager 1964-7, he sang Marcello in 1962, Scarpia in Tosca and Albert in Werther in 1963, and Zourga in Les Pêcheurs de perles and Sharpless in 1964.
Reviewing Lamontagne's Sharpless, Maryvonne Kendergi wrote that he 'brings to the performance the weight of his physical presence (physique and voice) and of his professional maturity' (Montreal Le Devoir, 17 Nov 1964). Lamontagne excelled in roles in which the dramatic and vocal elements are interdependent.
