Joyce El-Khoury is a Lebanese-Canadian opera singer performing with leading opera companies and symphony orchestras around the world. She is a soprano praised for her bel canto singing."New Diva for a New Year – Soprano Joyce El-Khoury", Voix des Arts, 29 January 2014. Accessed 23 June 2016.
Early life and education El-Khoury was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to Jean and Alex El-Khoury. She has two sisters, Cynthia El-Khoury Najm and Krista Jane El-Khoury – the latter also a singer."Student sings her way through a bachelor of commerce" , University of Ottawa website, 27 February 2014. Accessed 23 June 2016. She came to Ottawa, Ontario, with her family at the age of six, and began taking private voice lessons at the age of 15 with Karen Spicer."A Soprano comes Full Circle", Ottawa Citizen Press Reader,4 September 2012. Accessed 23 June 2016. With support from her teacher and parents, she pursued voice at the University of Ottawa under the tutelage of Ingemar Korjus. After graduating her Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the University of Ottawa, she pursued her studies at the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA)"Alumni", Academy of Vocal Arts official website. Accessed 23 June 2016. in Philadelphia while studying with Bill Schuman. El-Khoury was then invited to study at the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program while continuing her studies with Schuman. Her musical mentor and vocal coach is Laurent Philippe,"Ask the Artist: Joyce El-Khoury", Santa Fe Opera Blog, 2015. Accessed 23 June 2016. with whom she regularly appears in recital.
Career During the summer of 2010, El-Khoury was engaged by Lorin Maazel and the Castleton Festival to sing Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi and to cover"Castleton Festival opens with ‘La Boheme’", Washington Post official website. Accessed 25 June 2016. the title role in Suor Angelica. On opening night, she was asked to step in to sing Suor Angelica; this marked the beginning of Maazel's mentorship. She went on to perform Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville in Beijing, Mimì in Puccini's La bohème, the soprano part of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis in Munich and her first Desdemona in Verdi's Otello with Maazel."Joyce featured in Opera Canada", Joyce El-Khoury official website. Accessed 23 June 2016.
She sang Mimì in her Australian debut in 2019 for Opera Australia at the Sydney Opera House."Rising international star Joyce El-Khoury beguiles as Mimì in Opera Australia's La bohème in Sydney" by Sue Williams, The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 4 January 2019
Repertory
Year Role Composer Opera Location2009NeddaRuggiero LeoncavalloPagliacciKnoxville Opera 2010"Joyce El-Khoury Schedule", Operabase. Accessed 23 June 2016. Frasquita Georges Bizet Carmen Metropolitan Opera 2011 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Knoxville Opera 2012 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Welsh National Opera 2012 Magda Giacomo Puccini La rondine Des Moines Metro Opera 2012 Mimì Giacomo Puccini La bohème Opera Lyra Ottawa 2012 Antonina Gaetano Donizetti Belisario Opera Rara 2013 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Palm Beach Opera 2013 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Opéra Théâtre de Saint-Étienne 2013 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Dutch National Opera 2013 Desdemona Giuseppe Verdi Otello Castleton Festival 2013 Mimì Giacomo Puccini La bohème Canadian Opera Company 2013 Musetta Giacomo Puccini La bohème Canadian Opera Company 2014 Rusalka Antonín Dvořák Rusalka North Carolina Opera 2014 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Korea National Opera 2014 Rusalka Antonín Dvořák Rusalka Concertgebouw 2014 Micaëla Georges Bizet Carmen Santa Fe Opera 2014 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Lyric Opera of Kansas City 2014 Pauline Gaetano Donizetti Les martyrs Opera Rara 2015 Juliette Charles Gounod Roméo et Juliette Austin Opera 2015 Rosalinde Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus Vancouver Opera 2015 Emmeline Tobias Picker Emmeline Opera Theatre of Saint Louis 2015 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Savonlinna Opera Festival 2015 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Canadian Opera Company 2015 Musetta Giacomo Puccini La bohème Bayerische Staatsoper 2016 Tatiana Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Eugene Onegin North Carolina Opera 2016 Maria Stuarda Gaetano Donizetti Maria Stuarda Seattle Opera 2016 Tatyana Bakst Jake Heggie Great Scott San Diego Opera 2016 Liú Giacomo Puccini Turandot Opera Philadelphia 2016 Salomé Jules Massenet Hérodiade Washington Concert Opera 2017 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Royal Opera House 2017 Leïla Georges Bizet Les pêcheurs de perles Opéra National de Bordeaux 2017 Violetta Valéry Giuseppe Verdi La traviata Glyndebourne 2017 Imogene Vincenzo Bellini Il pirata Opéra National de Bordeaux 2018 Musetta Giacomo Puccini La bohème Teatro Real de Madrid 2018 Imogene Vincenzo Bellini Il pirata Theater St. Gallen
Recordings Mirra in Franz Liszt's Sardanapalo with conductor Kirill Karabits and the Staatskapelle Weimar, to be released in 2019, audite"Franz Liszt: Sardanapalo & Mazeppa", audite official website. Accessed 19 December 2018. Antonina in Donizetti's Belisario with conductor Sir Mark Elder with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, released 2012, Opera Rara"Collections, Belisario" , Opera Rara official website. Accessed 23 June 2016. Pauline in Donizetti's Les martyrs with conductor Sir Mark Elder with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, released 2015, Opera Rara"Collections, Les Martyrs" , Opera Rara official website. Accessed 23 June 2016.
Recognition and awards 2005: First Prize Winner at Brian Law Opera Competition"Brian Law Opera Competition", National Capital Opera Society. Accessed 23 June 2016. 2006: First Prize Winner at Mario Lanza Vocal Competition"Joyce El-Khoury is #OPERATHLETIC" , OPERATHLETIC Official Site. Accessed 3 July 2016. 2006: First Prize Winner and WRTI Radio Audience Favorite at Giargiari and Son Bel Canto Competition"WRTI Radio", WRTI Radio website. Accessed 23 June 2016. 2008: First Prize Winner at George London Competition"AVA Blog", Academy of Vocal Arts News. Accessed 23 June 2016. 2014: El-Khoury was nominated for Best Young Artist at the International Opera Awards"2014 Winners and Nominees", International Opera Awards official website. Accessed 23 June 2016. 2014: Opera Rara's recording of Donizetti's Belisario with El-Khoury in the role of Antonina was nominated for Best Recording (Complete Opera) at the International Opera Awards 2016: Opera Rara's recording of Donizetti's Les martyrs with El-Khoury in the role of Pauline won Best Recording (Complete Opera) at the International Opera Awards"2016 Winners", International Opera Awards official website. Accessed 23 June 2016.
References
External links
Profile at Columbia Artists Management