Marie-Juliette Ghazarian
French mezzo-soprano Marie-Juliette Ghazarian has established herself as one of the most compelling young singing actresses of her generation, distinguished by the richness of her timbre, her stylistic versatility and her remarkable dramatic commitment. Equally at ease in Mozart, French repertoire and contemporary opera, she has attracted particular attention through her close association with La Monnaie / De Munt in Brussels and her growing presence on the Belgian and French operatic scenes.
Born in Paris, Marie-Juliette Ghazarian began her musical education at the age of six. Originally trained as a harpsichordist, she studied the instrument for twelve years while simultaneously pursuing literary studies, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Literature and Media from Sorbonne Université. She subsequently devoted herself entirely to singing, studying at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with Marcel Vanaud, Jean-François Rouchon and Marianne Pousseur, where she graduated with a Master’s degree with Great Distinction in 2022.
In parallel with her studies, she joined the prestigious MM Academy of La Monnaie / De Munt in 2018. During her years with the company, she participated in numerous productions under internationally renowned conductors including Evelino Pidò, Kazushi Ōno and Alain Altinoglu, and directors such as Romeo Castellucci and Krzysztof Warlikowski. Her artistic development within the company culminated in her appointment as an MM Academy Laureate, reflecting her emergence as one of the theatre’s most promising young artists.
Since 2022, she has also been an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, where she has continued her artistic development under the guidance of Sophie Koch, Stéphane Degout and José van Dam.
An award-winning young artist, Marie-Juliette Ghazarian has received several distinctions early in her career, including the Vocation Prize at the New Talents of Lyric Art Competition of Belgium (2018), Third Prize in the Young Talents category of the National Operetta Competition of Brussels (2019), and the Patrimony Prize of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in both 2021 and 2022.
She made her professional stage debut in 2018 as Rick in John Adams’ I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky, a production presented at the National Theatre of Brussels, the Royal Opera of Wallonia and the Théâtre de l’Athénée in Paris. She subsequently expanded her repertoire with the Opéra Studio de Charleroi, appearing as Carmen, Dorabella in Mozart’s Così fan tutte and the Second Lady in Die Zauberflöte.
During the 2023–2024 season, she sang the Third Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Royal Opera of Wallonia, La Abuela in the world premiere of Frank Nuyts’ chamber opera Cambio madre por moto, the Page in Strauss’ Salome at the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz, and Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly with Les Escales Lyriques, confirming both the breadth of her repertoire and her growing dramatic maturity.
Recent seasons have further strengthened her profile as an interpreter of contemporary repertoire. In October 2024 she performed the demanding solo role in Leonard Evers’ one-woman opera Goud! (Gold) at La Monnaie / De Munt, before serving as cover for both Esmeralda and Lydia in the world premiere of Fanny and Alexander, the new opera by Mikael Karlsson and Royce Vavrek. She also made her debut at BOZAR in Brussels as the alto soloist in Handel’s Messiah, and at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges, performing the roles of La Chatte, L’Écureuil and Le Pâtre.
Last season includes another important collaboration with Alain Altinoglu, singing the title role in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges at BOZAR in Brussels, Die Dritte Magd in Strauss’ Elektra at the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz, Danae in the world premiere of Iain Bell’s Medusa at La Monnaie / De Munt, and Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola, also at La Monnaie, further consolidating her position as one of the most versatile and exciting young mezzo-sopranos to emerge on the European operatic scene.
Upcoming engagements include Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola at La Monnaie, Flora in Verdi’s Traviata at Verbier Festival, Emilia in Verdi’s Otello and Fedorina in Janssen’s Brodeck, both at Opéra National de Lorraine.
Representation : General Management