Anne-Lise Polchlopek, mezzo-soprano

“There are artists who seem to only have to open their mouths to effortlessly produce the most melodious sounds, as if it were the most natural thing for them and required no effort. Anne-Lise Polchlopek is just such an artist.” (Laurent Bury).

 

A violinist by training, holding degrees in literature, languages and architecture, Anne-Lise Polchlopek studied singing in Paris under Claudine Le Coz and at the CNSMD of Lyon in Mireille Delunsch’s class. A member of the Young Artists Program at Opera Fuoco (David Stern) and the Lyon Opera Studio. Since 2020 she is Artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel where she perfected her skills under José van Dam, Sophie Koch and Stéphane Degout.

She has taken masterclasses with Ludovic Tézier, Felicity Lott, Bernarda Fink, Véronique Gens, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Harmut Höll, Philippe Cassard, Susan Manoff, Barbara Hannigan and William Christie.

A laureate of the Marmande International Singing Competition (2018), the Gordes International Melody Competition (2018), the Fondation Royaumont (2020, 2021, 2022), and the Déodat de Séverac Prize alongside Italian-American pianist Elenora Pertz, during the 11th International Nadia & Lili Boulanger Voice-Piano Competition in 2021, Anne-Lise was awarded a grant from Mécénat Musical Société Générale (2020–21). Last October, she won the Grand Prize for Melody at the Toulouse International Singing Competition with Belarusian pianist Natallia Yeliseyeva.

The young mezzo-soprano made her stage debut early on, performing the roles of, among others, Dorabella (Così fan tutte) in Neimënster (Luxembourg); Prince Charmant (Cendrillon, Massenet) at the Amphitheatre of the Lyon National Opera; the roles of Augustine Bremond, Dr Grimaldi and the Comtesse de Pourtalès (Les Enfants du Levant, Aboulker) at the Théâtre de la Renaissance with the Lyon National Opera; Amatre (Serse) at the Beijing Music Festival with Opera Fuoco, conducted by David Stern; Zulma (L’Italienne à Alger) at the Opéra de Clermont-Ferrand; Marcelline (Nozze di Figaro) at La Grange aux Pianos with Opera Fuoco; Mère Marie de l’Incarnation (Dialogues des Carmélites) at the CNSMD of Lyon; the roles of Le Pâtre, La Chatte, L’Écureuil (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges) with the Lyon Opera Studio; The Old Lady with Opera Fuoco (Candide, Bernstein); Cherubino (Nozze di Figaro) at Opéra Clermont-Auvergne; Mrs Noye (Noye’s Fludde, Britten) at Théâtre de Caen; and Nicklausse (Contes d’Hoffmann) in Nancy.

Her 2022–23 season included debuts at the Festival de Radio France Montpellier, the Musée d’Orsay Auditorium, Wigmore Hall, Opéra de Lille, the Muse Salentine Festival, the Oxford Lieder Festival, Casa de las Condes (Santiago, Chile), the Flagey Festival (Brussels) with the Orchestre Royal de Wallonie, Opéra de St Étienne (Requiem, Mozart), Philharmonie de Paris and Opéra de Massy (We Are Eternal (Dorabella, Cherubino, Elvira) with Opera Fuoco), TAP Poitiers (Carmen, title role in The Carmen Case (Bizet/Soh), concept, libretto and stage direction by Alexandra Lacroix), and the National Taichung Theater, Taiwan (Cendrillon, title role, Massenet, directed by Laurent Pelly).

In 2024 and 2025, Anne-Lise will reprise the role of Carmen (The Carmen Case, Bizet/Soh/Lacroix) at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Opéra de Limoges, under the direction of Lucie Leguay. In addition, she will make her debut at Bozar (Brussels) alongside José Van Dam (soloist, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mendelssohn); at the Krakow Philharmonic (Poland; alto solo, Symphony No. 9, Beethoven); at the Opéra de Massy in the role of Déjanire (Hercules, Handel); and at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège in Janacek’s Katia Kabanova.

In 2025 and 2026, she will debut at the Opéra de Toulon and the Opéra National du Capitole, and will reunite with Giuseppe Grazioli at the Opéra de St Etienne for Handel’s Messiah.

A lover of words and chamber music, Anne-Lise Polchlopek has participated in two CDs of French melodies, released in late 2022: Paul Arma, Chants du silence (Éditions Hortus), at the invitation of pianist Thomas Tacquet; and the CD of the Académie Orsay-Royaumont (B-Records) in 2021–22 with pianist Nicolas Royez. Each CD, warmly received by critics, was hosted and presented by Clément Rochefort and Xavier Carrère on the live radio program Génération France Musique.

In 2024 she will record the role of the Baroness in Maurice Yvain’s Gosse de riche for a recording for Alpha Classics with Les Frivolités Parisiennes.

Anne-Lise benefits from a scholarship granted by M. & Mrs. Michel Delbaere