Acclaimed for her «sheer dramatic charm and vocal clarity» and the ability to «command the stage with authority», Canadian-Tunisian Rihab Chaieb is a member of the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Program, a 2016 winner of the Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, and a rising star in the lyric mezzo-soprano repertoire. After spending the summer at the Glyndebourne Festival in the role of Flora in Verdi's La Traviata, Ms. Chaieb will create the role of the Fairy Prince in the world premiere of David Hertzberg's The Wake World in her company debut with Opera Philadelphia this Fall. Following a successful Metropolitan Opera debut in the 2016-17 season as Zulma in Rossini's L'Italiana in Algeri and as the Cretan Mezzo in Mozart's Idomeneo, Ms. Chaieb will return to the stage in 2017-18 as the Sandman in Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, Lola in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, and Laura in Verdi's Luisa Miller. Chaieb will also appear in Antwerp (Belgium), Houston (USA) and Santiago (Chile) in future engagements. Recent operatic highlights include Mércedès in David McVicar's production of Bizet's Carmen at the Glyndebourne Festival, Tebaldo in Verdi's Don Carlo at the Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Waltraute in Atom Egoyan's production of Wagner's Die Walküre at the Canadian Opera Company (COC), where she also reprised the role of Juno/Ino in Handel's Semele. Ms. Chaieb also recently made her role debuts as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro for the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco and Sesto in Mozart's La clemenza di
Tito for the COC in their 2013 Ensemble Studio, both leading to major acclaim. In summer 2016, she also participated in the I nternationale Meistersinger Akademie, attracting much attention and praise from industry professionals for her performances in Neumarkt. Also an active concert singer, Rihab made her Carnegie Hall debut singing Bach's Magnificat in December 2016. Ms. Chaieb has worked with such renowned conductors as James Levine, Sir Andrew Davis, Steuart Bedford, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Johannes Debus, Paul Nadler, Helmuth Rilling, Pablo Heras-Casado and Leonardo Vordoni. Collaborations with acclaimed stage directors include Robert Carsen, Christopher Alden, James Robinson, Catherine Malfitano, Atom Egoyan, Charles Roubaud and Diane Paulus. Previously a member of the COC Ensemble Studio, Chaieb studied at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, the Merola Opera Program, the Steans Music Institute at the Ravinia Festival, and Franz Schubert Institute in Baden bei Wien. She has been awarded grants from Canada Arts Council, Conseil des Arts & Lettres du Québec and Conseil des Arts de Laval. She is a winner in the 2018 George London Competition, and also a prize winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Christina & Louis Quilico Awards, Ottawa Choral Society New Discoveries Auditions, and a laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques du Canada. In January 2015, Chaieb was awarded the 2014 Bernard-Diamant Prize by the Canada Arts Council. Rihab is a Peace Ambassador for the international nonprofit organization Opera for Peace, promoting unity through artistic excellence, global collaborations, and social justice endeavors.
