Created in 1994 in Canada, the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques is an international training and development programme to help young opera singers between the age of 18 and 35 at the beginning of a professionnal carreer.
Each spring, a national audition is held in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. A committe formed of European and North American officials from the world of opera selects the most talented Canadian singers who will be named Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques. Following these auditions, some laureates can obtain engagements in a production or be engaged in a troupe of an opera house in Europe.
Then, in the summer and fall, some laureates are send to represent Canada in European international singing competitions or in professional training sessions.
In November, a benefit gala concert presents the Canadian laureates of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques programe as well as winnners of international singing competitions to the Montreal public. Opera directors invited from Europe and North America offer audition tours, concerts, professionnal training sessions in Europe and Asia as well as engagement in Canadian and European opera houses. The programme also gives prizes and bursaries which supports the laureates’ travelling and living expenses abroad.
Throughout the year, Mr. Alain Nonat, General and Artistic Director of Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 represents Canada in international singing competitions in Europe and Asia as a jury member, where he selects laureates to be invited in Montreal for a serial of concerts and the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques Benefit Gala Concert. In this way, new partnerships between opera houses and Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 are developped every year creating a network of more than 80 partners in 16 countries.
In 2005 Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 co-produced in Chengdu, China, the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet which had a Canadian, a previous laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, for the leading role of Don José.
In 2006, Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 created in Romania with Opera Brasov, an annual international programme for young singers with opera productions of French repertoire.
Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 ans the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques in Europe : in spring 2011, Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 organized a tour of private auditions in several opera houses in Europe (Avignon, Strasbourg, Marseille for France, and Erfurt, Würztburg, Nürnberg, Augsburg for Germany, for 6 winners of Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques 2010.
To strengten its european presence and prepare the program for singers, winners of the auditions, Théâtre Lyrichorégra 20 has an official representative of the program in Europe, Mr Hans Nieuwenhuis, President of the Orfeo Foundation and former Director of our partner in Netherlands, The Netherlands Opera Studio of Amsterdam, wich prepares the winners in Amsterdam before starting rouds of auditions.
