SOLEN MAINGUENÉ

SOPRANO

About

about

Solen Mainguené is a lyric soprano from Orange, south of France. Currently an ensemble member of the Leipzig Opera, she additionally appears on stages all over Europe in the lyrico spinto and jugendlich dramatisch repertoire. Particularly known for her emotional interpretations, rich voice, acting skills and solar stage charisma, she loves to blur the line between straight acting and opera, to create realistic and complex female protagonists.

Photo: S. Ballone

Photo:C.Delestrade

Photo:M.Brun

Education

She started her vocal studies at the Conservatoire de Rennes, followed by a Bachelor on a merit scholarship at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, USA, and a Master in the Opernklasse of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria.

She finally perfected her education as a member of the Hamburg State Opera´s Opera Studio.

Her former teachers include: Stanley Cornett, Boris Bakow, John Shirley Quirk, Andzej Dobber.

She attended masterclasses with: Montserrat Caballé, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Cheryl Studer, Marilyn Horn, Barbara Bonney, Neil Schicoff, Grace Bumbry, Sophie Koch, Riri Grits, Dame Ann Murray.

Solen benefited from the guidance and mentoring of numerous conductors but more specifically the Australian conductor Simone Young, and the French conductor Michel Plasson.

Solen currently studies with the American vocal pedagogue Neil Semer.

Furthermore Solen is a mentor to advanced vocal students of the Mendelssohn Bartholdy Conservatory in Leipzig where she coaches and supports young singers vocally and professionally at the start of their professional career as part of the MentoringArts Program.

Photo: P. Leclaire

Theaters

Solen began her career at the Hamburg State Opera, where she was a resident artist. During her time there, she performed more than twenty roles including Micaëla (Carmen), Musetta (La Bohème), First Lady (Die Zauberflöte), Polovtsian Maiden (Prince Igor), and Flower Maiden (Parsifal).

She subsequently appeared as a guest at major opera houses throughout Europe, performing a broad range of leading roles such as Violetta (Oper Halle, Oper Aachen), Nedda (Danish National Opera, Opéra Grand Avignon, Theater Braunschweig, Opéra de Vichy), Antonia (Badische Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Theater Freiburg, Theater Gelsenkirchen), Liù (Malmö Opera, Opéra de Massy), Musetta (Staatsoper Hannover, Theater Lübeck, Hamburg State Opera), Mimì (Theater Freiburg, Oper Leipzig, Staatstheater Dessau), Tatjana (Theater Freiburg, Theater Winterthur), Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro, Theater Koblenz), Manon (Theater Freiburg). The Governess (The Turn of the Screw, Theater Freiburg).

Particular recognition has come through her interpretations of Richard Strauss heroines, most notably the Marschallin (Der Rosenkavalier), which she has performed at Oper Leipzig and the Prague State Opera, as well as Arabella (Gießen Stadttheater). These roles have become central reference points in her artistic profile.

Currently a member of the ensemble of Oper Leipzig, Solen appears as Desdemona (Otello), Alice Ford (Falstaff), Gutrune (Götterdämmerung), Lisa (Pique Dame), and Micaëla (Carmen).

In addition to her ensemble work, she continues to guest regularly, with her standard core repertoire of Mimì (La Bohème) and *Micaëla at several European theaters.

Alongside her current engagements, Solen’s repertoire continues to develop organically, with future role debuts including Leonora (Il trovatore), Rusalka (Rusalka), Giorgetta (Il tabarro), and Senta (Der fliegende Holländer).

Photo: Dietmar Scholz

Awards

Mrs Mainguené is the recipient of numerous awards as the result of her vocal accomplishments. She is the 1st Price Winner and Price for best female Italian repertoire interpretation at the Clermont-Ferrand International Competition. She was also a finalist of the Portofino International Competition and of the Avignon Grand Opera Competition. Additionally she was a semi-finalist of the Montserrat Caballé Grand Prix, Belvedere Competition, Virginia Zeani Competition, Opera Crown Competition and the Ferruccio Tagliavini Competition.

Solen was nominated three times by the magazine Opernwelt, two times for "best female artist of the year" in 2019 for Governess in Turn of the Screw at Theater Freiburg and in 2021 as Manon in Manon at Theater Freiburg, as well as in 2015 as "young rising artist of the year" for her burning interpretation of Catherine Earnshaw in B.Herrmann at Theater Braunschweig. Her production of Turn of the Screw at Theater Freiburg was also nominated for best production of the year in 2019.

She is the recipient of numerous stipends and scholarships that funded her vocal studies amongst them: Berenberg Bank, Körber Stiftung, Ursula Rahman Stiftung, Marleigh Baratz, the Lions Club, the Janssen´s vocal merit scholarship, and the Mozarteum Universität vocal scholarship.

Photo: P. Browne

Acting

A trained actress, Solen also enjoys crossing to straight plays, films, narration, and performance acting. In 2022 she was Marion Cotillard´s understudy as Jeanne d´Arc in Honnegger Jeanne d´Arc au bûcher at the Teatro Real Madrid, a piece that she also collaborated on with Fanny Ardent at the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg in 2015. Other theatrical collaborations include the Thalia Theater Hamburg, the collective Hauen und Stechen, the collective Proxi, the Bundes Jungend Ballett and the Swiss actor Robert Hunger-Bühler.

Solen speaks French, English, German and Italian.

repertoire

Repertoire

Italian

Contessa Le Nozze di Figaro W.A Mozart

Donna Elvira Don Giovanni W.A Mozart

Fiordiligi Cosí fan tutte W.A Mozart

Anna Anna Bolena G.Donizetti

Luisa Luisa Miller G.Verdi

Violetta La Traviata G.Verdi

Desdemona Otello G.Verdi

Amelia Simon Boccanegra G.Verdi

Leonora Il Trovatore G.Verdi

Alice Ford Falstaff G.Verdi

Mimí La Bohème G.Puccini

Musetta La Bohème G.Puccini

Liù Turandot G.Puccini

Lauretta Gianni Schicchi G.Puccini

Manon Lescaut G,Puccuni

Suor Angelica G.Puccini

Giorgetta Il tabarro G.Puccini

Cio-Cio San Butterfly G.Puccini

Magda La Rondine G.Puccini

Suzel L'amico Fritz P.Mascagni

Nedda I Pagliacci R.Leoncavallo

French

Marguerite Faust C.Gounod

Thaïs Thaïs J.Massenet

Micaela Carmen G.Bizet

Antonia Les Contes d'Hoffmann J.Offenbach

Giulietta Les Contes d'Hoffmann J.Offenbach

Blanche Dialogue des Carmélites F.Poulenc

Madame Lidoine Dialogue des Carmélites F.Poulenc

Louise Louise G.Charpentier

La Voix la voix humaine F. Poulenc

German

Eva Der Meistersinger R.Wagner

Freia Rheingold R.Wagner

Blumenmädchen Parsifal II/2 R.Wagner

Elisabeth Tannhäuser R. Wagner

Elsa Lohengrin R.Wagner

Gutrune Götterdämmerung R.Wagner

Die Feldmarschallin Der Rosenkavalier R.Strauß

Arabella Arabella R.Strauß

Chrysothemis Elektra R.Strauß

Rosalinde Die Fledermaus J.Strauß

Hannah Die Lustige Witwe F.Lehàr

Giuditta Giuditta F.Lehàr

Angèle Didier Der Graf von Luxemburg F. Lehàr

Slavic

Tatjana Eugene Onegin P.I. Tchaikowsky

Lisa Pique Dame P.I Tchaikowsky

Maria Mazeppa P.I Tchaikowsky

Iolanta P.I Tchaikowsky

Rusalka Rusalka A.Dvorak

Káťa Káťa Kabanová Leoš Janáček

Jenůfa Jenůfa Leoš Janáček

English

Governess The Turn of the Screw B.Britten

Ellen Peter Grimmes B.Britten

Vanessa S.Barber

Catherine Earnshaw Whuthering Heights B.Herrmann

Concert

Requiem W.A Mozart

9th Beethoven L.Beethoven

Requiem G.Verdi

Requiem G.Fauré

4 Letze Lieder R. Strauß

4th and 8th Symphony G.Mahler

War Requiem B.Britten

Videos

Videos of my performances are available upon request.
Due to copyright restrictions, recordings of orchestral performances cannot be shared publicly. I am happy to provide links or files for professional purposes such as casting, press, or informational use. Please feel free to contact me at solenmainguene@gmail.com

Dates