Alain Coulombe

French-Canadian bass, Alain Coulombe, is one of the most prominent singers of his generation, recently noted as one of the Globe and Mail’s Canadian Opera Singers to Watch (2022). For more than 30 years, he has been a mainstay on all major Canadian stages, in opera and concert, while garnering international acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. Alain’s 2023-24 season includes his return to Opera de Montréal for the world premier of La Reine-garçon, as well as his return to the role of Zuniga in Bizet’s Carmen with Orchestre Philharmonic et Choeurs de Mélomanes and Vancouver Opera.

Highlights from recent opera seasons include Zuniga in Carmen for Canadian Opera Company, Tripaldi in the Canadian premiere of Golijov’s Ainadamar for Opéra de Montréal, and the world premiere of Frehner’s L.E.X. with Soundstreams, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival, Der Doktor in Wozzeck and Archangel Uriel in the world premiere of CO2 at Il Teatro alla Scala, Clark Gable in the world premiere of Waiting for Miss Monroe, The Director of the Casino in The Gambler and Geronte di Ravoir in Manon Lescaut at the Dutch National Opera, as well as Bishop Taché in Louis Riel at the Canadian Opera Company, le Festival d’Opéra de Québec, and the National Arts Centre. He was also Oroveso in Norma, Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette and Ramfis in Aida with the Calgary Opera, Merlin in Kopernikus and Arkel in Pelléas et Mélisande with Against the Grain Theatre, Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni and Frère Laurent in Roméo et Juliette at l’Opéra de Montréal, as well as Timur in the Vancouver Opera production of Turandot.

Since his graduation from the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble, he has returned to the COC for over 45 mainstage productions, including The Magic Flute, La Traviata, Elektra, Luisa Miller, War and Peace, Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, La Fanciulla del West, Idomeneo, Salome, Simon Boccanegra, Il tabarro, Il viaggio a Reims, Otello, Carmen (2005, 2010, 2016, 2022), Albert Herring, Aida, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni, Un ballo in Maschera, and Billy Budd. Alain was also honoured to perform at the inaugural gala celebrating the opening of the COC’s Four Seasons Centre for the Arts in June 2006.

Alain has seamlessly juggled high profile concert engagements alongside his flourishing operatic stage career. Highlights include Verdi’s Requiem (Orchestre Symphonique de Trois Rivières and Québec, Vancouver Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), Mozart’s Requiem (Windsor, Victoria, Thunder Bay, Pasadena, Québec, and Edmonton Symphonies, Elora Festival, Orchestra London), Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex (Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal), and Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ (Orquesta Nacional de España, Pax Christi Chorale, Boston Symphony, & Dresdner Philharmonie). Alain appeared as Leporello alongside Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Don Giovanni in concert (George Weston Recital Hall), as Zuniga in Carmen with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, and as The Gravedigger in Schumann’s Der Rose Pilgerfahrt, Op. 112 with Le Festival de Musique de Lanaudière. A favourite of many conductors for his musicianship and consistency, he has collaborated with outstanding conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Kent Nagano, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Richard Bradshaw, Johannes Debus, Helmut Rilling, Bernard Labadie, Alain Altinoglu, Ingo Metzmacher, Andrew Parrot, and Richard Bonynge.

In recording, Coulombe was featured as Masetto in the Gemini winning Rhombus Media film Don Giovanni Unmasked, again starring Hvorostovsky. His other recording credits include Robin de Raaff`s Waiting for Miss Monroe (Challenge Records International), Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (Prague Symphony Orchestra, Théâtre Sans Fil), Harry Somers’ Serinette, Chura Churam, and The Death of Enkidu (Centrediscs Records), the World Premiere of David DiChiera’s Cyrano (Michigan Opera Theatre), the soundtrack of Rhombus Media’s movie Don Giovanni Unmasked (CBC Records), as well as numerous live radio broadcasts of opera performances and concerts across North America and Europe.

Noted for his continued artistic impact, Coulombe was honoured as an Ambassadeur de la Matanie in 2014, an honour shared by Rouleau, in recognition for the work he has done as a French-Canadian and in sharing his talents around the world. Alain has, on several occasions, been invited as a Peer Assessor for the Canada Council for the Arts, sharing his perspectives on the Canadian operatic and symphonic industries. Passionate about supporting Canadian work and talent, Coulombe now gives back to his community, following in the footsteps of his mentor. He has worked with the young artists of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal and joins the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio next year, sharing wisdom with the programs he once attended. In 2020, he was invited to the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto as a guest lecturer, where he taught a private studio of voice students and French mélodie. He has also joined the UofT for masterclasses in 2018, 2019, 2021, and returns in 2023. Inspired by these pursuits, Coulombe began teaching a private studio of artists in 2018, which has since grown and seen students enter elite conservatory and young artist programs across Canada. As Coulombe's career continues to evolve, he is thrilled to be a part of new premieres, dig into new roles and repertoire, and support the new generation of Canadian talents.

November 2023

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