Elisabeth St-Gelais

Named Radio-Canada’s “Révélation” (“discovery”) in classical music for the 2023–24 season, soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais graduated from McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in April 2023 with a Master of Music degree in voice and opera. An Innu from the community of Pessamit, she has made sharing her culture part of her mission as an artist. In 2022, Elisabeth received McGill University’s prestigious Wirth Vocal Prize, won the Grand Prize in the 19-30 age group at the Canimex Canadian Music Competition, and was named to the prestigious #CBC30under30 list, recognizing her as a leading Indigenous opera artist under the age of 30. In 2023, she won first prize in the age 26–30 category at the Festival Classival, the Prix d’Europe awarded at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, and first prize and the Audience Choice Award at the Canadian Opera Company’s annual Centre Stage competition. In November 2023, at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, she placed first in the Western Canada District and won the Northwest Regionals Encouragement Award. Elisabeth is also active in her Montreal musical community, and has been a member of the board of directors of the Conseil québécois de la musique since April 2023. She has performed across Canada as a guest of the Canadian Opera Company, the Orchestre de l’Agora, the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal, I Musici, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre symphonique de la Côte-Nord, the Orchestre classique de Montréal, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, Cecilia Concerts, the Festival d’opéra de Québec, and many others. As an Indigenous artist, Elisabeth St-Gelais is committed to the reconciliation of Canada’s Indigenous Peoples and a proud representative of her nation, the Innu of the Côte-Nord.