A Performance that Changes Everything

Seated in the audience at Place des Arts with my classmates many years ago, I experienced my very first opera. It was Roméo et Juliette, and Opéra de Montréal had invited students from Cégep de Saint-Laurent to attend the performance free of charge.

That evening changed my life.

Seeing the singers live and hearing the power of their voices… that’s when I realized I wanted to pursue opera as my passion and my career.

Today, I have the privilege of returning to that very same stage—this time in the title role of Opéra de Montréal’s production of Carmen this May.

Carmen is one of the most performed and beloved operas in the repertoire, so singing it in my hometown is a dream come true. And it’s even more meaningful because, in the audience, a new group of students will be present, some experiencing opera for the very first time—just as I once did. With your support, that first performance could change another young life.

And opera doesn’t just change the lives of those who become performers: it is transformative for the audience as well.

Throughout my career, people have come up to me after the show and shared something deeply personal. They tell me they may have been going through a difficult moment in their lives, but for those two or three hours, the music allowed them to forget their pain.

That is the beauty of opera. For a few hours, we come together not just through singing, but through a moment of healing that allows us to escape our own lives. It’s just the two of us connecting—performer to audience member, human being to human being—and we will never have that moment again.

For these beautiful moments to happen, we need your support.

Make a gift today! Your gift brings the magic of opera to life for audiences and supports the next generation of artists. Join us in shaping the future of this extraordinary art form.

Your gift:

• Nurtures the next generation of artists through the Atelier lyrique. Without artist training programs like this one, I and many others would not have been able to pursue careers doing what we love.
• Opens the doors of opera to young people and students, offering them the chance
  to discover a world they may never have imagined.
• Brings world-class opera to Montréal, enriching the cultural life of the city and sharing extraordinary performances with thousands of people each season.

Today, I invite you to help create the next life-changing moment.

None of this is possible without you. Your gift sustains the magic of opera: the moment an artist fulfills a lifelong dream, and the moment we gather together, moved and renewed by the power of this remarkable art form.

With all my gratitude,

Rihab Chaieb

Mezzo-soprano