SOLEN MAINGUENÉ
SOPRANO
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 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: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.
Theaters
Solen started her career on the stage of the Hamburg State Opera where she was a resident artist. While at the State Opera she performed over 20 roles, such as MICAELA in Carmen, MUSETTA in la Bohème, 1st LADY in die Zauberflöte, POLOWETZER MAIDEN in Prince Igor, and FLOWER MAIDEN in Parsifal.
Solen guests regularly in theatres all over Europe, amongst those roles: 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, Staatsoper Hamburg), MIMÍ (Theater Freiburg, Oper Leipzig, Staatstheater Dessau), TATJANA (Theater Freiburg, Theater Winterthur), CONTESSA (Theater Koblenz), MANON (Theater Freiburg), MARSCHALLIN (Oper Leipzig, Staatsoper Prag), GOVERNESS (Theater Freiburg).
Currently a member of the ensemble of the Leipzig Opera, she can be heard this season as MICAELA in Carmen, DESDEMONA in Otello under the baton of Ivan Repušić, LISA in Pique Dame in a new production by Lorenzo Fioroni and she will renew her highly praised interpretation of MARSCHALLIN in Rosenkavalier with the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
Additionally she will make her Czech Debut as MARSCHALLIN in Rosenkavalier at the Prague State Opera and add another Straußian role to her Repertoire as ARABELLA with the Gießen Stadtstheater.
Future role debuts include ALICE FORD in Falstaff, ELLEN in Peter Grimmes, and AMELIA in Simon Boccanegra.
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.
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
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
Suor Angelica G.Puccini
Magda La Rondine G.Puccini
Suzel L'amico Fritz P.Mascagni
Nedda I Pagliacci R.Leoncavallo
French
Marguerite Faust C.Gounod
Manon Manon J.Massenet
Thaïs Thaïs J.Massenet
Micaela Carmen G.Bizet
Laila Pêcheurs de Perles G.Bizet
Antonia Les Contes d'Hoffmann J.Offenbach
Blanche 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
Die Feldmarschallin Der Rosenkavalier R.Strauß
Arabella Arabella 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
Fox The cunning little vixen K. Janaček
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
Dates
Prague State Opera
R.Strauß
Der Rosenkavalier
Marschallin
National Theater Orchestra
Conductor: Richard Hein
Stage director: Andreas Homoki
21st September 2024
https://www.narodni-divadlo.cz/en/show/der-rosenkavalier-119796282
Leipzig Opera
G.Bizet
Carmen
Micaela
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Matthias Foremny
Stage director: Lindy Humme
1st November 2024
3rd November 2024
16th November 2024
9th Mai 2025
25th Mai 2025
Anhaltisches Theater Dessau
G.Puccini
La Bohème
Mimì
Conductor: Markus Frank
Staging: Christian von Treskau
Anhaltische Philharmonie Dessau
23rd November 2024
Gießen Opera
R.Strauß
Arabella
Arabella
Conductor: Andreas Schüller
Philharmonisches Orchester Gießen
1st December 2024
7th December 2024
21st December 2024
10th January 2025
https://stadttheater-giessen.de/de/veranstaltungen/stuecke/arabella/
Leipzig Opera
G.Verdi
Otello
Desdemona
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Ivan Repušić
Stage director: Monique Wagemakers
18th Januar 2025
25th Januar 2025
2nd Februar 2025
15th Februar 2025
Győr Philharmonic
F.Poulenc
La Voix Humaine
Elle
Győr Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Martin Rajna
6th March 2025
https://gyfz.hu/icalendar/event/currentDate/2025-03-06/ice_id/105/m/40
Leipzig Opera
P.I Tchaikowsky
Pique Dame
Lisa
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Anna Skryleva
Stage director: Lorenzo Fioroni
NEW PRODUCTION
10th May 2025
16th May 2025
24th May 2025
31st May 2025
4th June 2025
7th June 2025
Photo K.Nijhof
Leipzig Opera
R.Strauß
Der Rosenkavalier
Marschallin
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Christoph Gedschold
Stage director: Michael Schulz
14th June 2025
18th June 2025
29th June 2025
https://www.oper-leipzig.de/de/programm/der-rosenkavalier/677
Leipzig Opera
G.Verdi
Falstaff
Alice Ford
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Ivan Repušić
Stage director: Marlene Hahn
NEW PRODUCTION
11th October 2025
19th October 2025
30th November 2025
17th December 2025
18th January 2025
Leipzig Opera
G.Puccini
La Bohème
Mimí
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Ivan Repušić
Stage director: Peter Konwitschny
5th December 2025
11th December 2025
24th January 2025
https://www.oper-leipzig.de/de/programm/la-boheme/142
Leipzig Opera
A.Lortzing
Regina
Regina
Gewandhaus Orchester
Conductor: Konstantin Trinks
Stage director: Bernd Mottl
NEW PRODUCTION
17th Mai
https://www.oper-leipzig.de/de/programm/regina/811