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After winning piano and chamber music awards at the National Conservatory of Paris, the French mezzo-soprano Caroline Meng studied with Malcolm Walker, receiving her “Diploma in Voice” in 2007. She was also invited to attend master classes with Jennifer Larmore, Veronica Cangemi and Sylvie Valayre.

 

Since then, Caroline Meng has performed in a variety of musical forms and styles ranging from opera to recital and sacred concerts, baroque to contemporary music, both in France and abroad.

 

She made her professional debut in 2009 singing the role of Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni at the Royal Versailles Opera, as well as on tour, under the direction of David Stern.

 

Operatic roles since have included Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte (also conducted by David Stern), the title role in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, St. Gallen in Switzerland and the Rouen Opera, the first and second witch and second woman in the same opera at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Royal Versailles Opera and the Bozar in Brussels (recorded for DVD), Ismene in Telemann’s Orpheus at the Magdeburg Opera, Bellezza and Hero in Cavalli’s Egisto at the Opéra Comique, Paris, Rouen Opera and the Opera of Luxembourg under the direction of Vincent Dumestre, Tisbe in Rossini’s La Cenerentola under the baton of Edmon Colomer and Glasa in Janáček’s Katya Kabanova under the direction of Alexander Briger, both at the Opera of Toulon.

 

From 2015-17, she sang the role of the Fox in Janáček's The Cunning Little Vixen for the Arcal in Paris, Besançon and Reims, Cesonia in Pagliardi’s Caligula for the Poème Harmonique, conducted by Vincent Dumestre, at the Bastille Opera, Paris and on tour in Bruges (also recorded for DVD), as well as making her debut at the Marseille Opera with Fiodor in Mussorgsky’s Boris Godounov under Paolo Arrivabeni.

 

Between 2018 and 2021 her engagements included Papagena at the Opéra de Marseille and the Third Lady in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Opéra de Lille, Octavian in Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier in Sydney, Australia, as well as revivals of Janacek's The Cunning Little Vixen, Les P'tites Michu and Caligula. She also performed Neptuno in Coronis by Durón under the direction of Vincent Dumestre and Omar Porras, Egisto at the Opéra de Versailles and the role of the third nymph in Dvorak's Rusalka in Limoges.

 

A regular with the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Italy and France, she has sung the mezzo role in their productions of Le Ventre de Paris in Venice, Milan and Paris, performances and CD productions of Fairy Tales alongside soprano Jodie Devos in Venice, Paris and Montreal and Gounod’s Mass of Saint-Louis-des-Français and Sacred Hymn under Hervé Niquet and the Brussels Philharmonic, and most recently the role of Mademoiselle Herpin in Messager’s Les P’tites Michu in Nantes and Paris.

 

On the concert platform, Caroline Meng has sung as soloist in Mehul’s Mass under François-Xavier Roth at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Royal Concert of the Night with Sébastien Daucé and his “Ensemble Correspondances” in Versailles, as well as on tour in London, Belgium and China (recorded for CD with Harmonia Mundi), Schubert’s Rosamunde at Opera of Limoges, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach's B minor Mass and Trauermusik, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Duruflé’s Requiem at churches such as at the Notre Dame, Saint Sulpice, Saint Eustache and The Madeleine in Paris.
 

In recital, she regularly collaborates with pianist Fériel Kaddour, and has sung for such festivals as the Geneva Gala, the Amman Festival in Jordan, Chaise Dieu Festival, Moscow Festival, Bruges and Gent Festivals in Belgium and at the Sierre Castle in Switzerland.

 

Passionate about contemporary music, Caroline Meng has sung and recorded many new works, including Thierry Machuel’s Psalm, conducted by Laurence Equilbey (Naïve CD), the Deux visages with saxophonist Jean-Pierre Baraglioli (Daphaneo CD), Mémoire de harpes, created by Frédérique Cambreling and produced by IRCAM.

 

Alongside her performances as a singer, Caroline Meng is leader of the CRR of Paris and belongs to the teaching team of the “Sotto Voce” Children's Choir at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.

 

Her future engagements include revivals of Coronis in Madrid, Caligula in Liège, Offenbach's La vie parisienne in Liège, Toulouse, Limoges and Montpellier and Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro under the baton of David Stern.

 

Moussorgski : Boris Godounov (Fiodor)

 

"Caroline Meng sings with as much certainty as seduction."

- Emmanuel Andrieu, Operaonline,16/02/17

 

"Caroline Meng gracefully emphasizes the colour and the roundness."

- Maurice Salles, ForumOpera,16/02/17

 

"Caroline Meng sings with a youthful voice that brings freshness, vivacity and musicality."

- Jocelyne de Nicola, GB Opera magazine,14/02/17

Kleinheinz - Mezzo solo (Conductor: François-Xavier Roth)

 

"Mezzo-soprano Caroline Meng exudes a confident serenity."

- Charles Arden, Olyrix,14/03/17

Janáček : The Cunning Little Vixen (the Fox)

 

"The poetry of Caroline Meng is very deep, full of lyricism." 

- Pedro Octavo Diaz, Classiquenews, 20/04/16

 

"Caroline Meng is a splendid fox. We look forward to hearing her in a leading role."

- Laurent Bury, ForumOpera,16/01/16

 

"Noriko Urata and Caroline Meng sing with refinement, without ever sacrificing the diction and the projection. One can only praise them."

- Florent Coudeyrat, ConcertoNet,16/01/2016

Il était une fois, Quatuor Giardini & Jodie Devos

 

"One of the best aspects of this album is the distribution of the two talented young singers. Neat diction and timbres and complementary temperaments. Caroline Meng's dark and warm mezzo-soprano is lunar."

- Sophie Bourdais, Télérama FFFF, 29/06/16

Telemann : Orpheus (Ismena)


"Caroline Meng gives Ismene its icy coldness. She is the diabolical creature of this opera, which she expresses in a remarkable way."

- Volkstimme 

Mozart : Cosi fan tutte (Dorabella)

 

"The distribution is spectacular. Dorabella is performed by Caroline Meng-flirtatious and full of brilliance. Her voice has a beautiful colour with a lot of flavour."

- Sabino Pena Arcia, Classiquenews, 29/03/13

Rossini : La Cenerentola (Tisbé)

 
"Caroline Meng sings with nuance and humor. Her voice has a roundness of sound and a lovely tone, proof of a beautiful technique and great musicality."

- Jocelyne De Nicola, GB Opera Magazine, 02/14 

Pagliardi : Caligula (Cesonia)

 

"With an unmatched voice, in a role is tailor-made for her, Caroline Meng portrays Caligula's last wife, the sensual Cesonia, with power and sensitivity, beautifully coloured phrasing and remarkable emotion."

- Pedro-Octavio Diaz, Muse Baroque

 

"In the young cast, it is the two rivals that we especially notice, including the imperious and passionate Cesonia of Caroline Meng." 

- Olivier Rouvière, Diapason, 7/10/11  

 

"As for the singers, one has especially the imperious empress of Caroline Meng in mind."

- Marie-Aude Roux, Le Monde, 11/03/12

 

"In the role of Cesonia, Caroline Meng is splendid. A velvet tone and perfect projection. Her jealousy and "madness", that leads her to almost lose the man she loves, makes the heart beat and pulls our soul. Her final lamento "S'a loccaso ", brings one to tears."

- Monique Parmentier, Classiquenews, 22/08/12

Purcell : Dido and Eneas (Dido)

 

"Caroline Meng’s Dido is sung with an unusually strong dramatic and vocal presence. The young mezzo has a fleshy voice, effortlessly coloured, noble, rare and precious." 

- Mehdi Mahdavi, TCE Altamusica,14/11/09

Mozart : Don Giovanni (Zerlina)

 

"Caroline Meng is a Zerlina with exquisite sensuality and disarming naivety."

- Jérémie Szpirglas, SQEY Anaclase, 26/01/09

 

"Caroline Meng’s Zerlina is sung with a strong temperament and attractive tone."

- Simon Corley, ConcertNet, 17/02/09

Mozart : Die Zauberflöte (Papagena)

 

"Although the role of Papagena is short, Caroline Meng is enough to make her deep and warm voice appreciated and to make one want to listen for longer." 

- Jocelyne de Nicola, GB operaMagazine, 09/27/19

 

"Caroline Meng’s Papagena is ideal-cheeky and amusing."

- Christian Colombeau, Podcast journal, 09/27/2019

"Papagena is sung by the generous mezzo-soprano Caroline Meng. She possesses a homogeneous and fruity voice, producing a delicate line."

- Florence Lethurgez, Olyrix, 25/09/2019

Durón : Coronis (Neptuno)

 

"Caroline Meng's Neptune is absolutely amazing, using her impeccable vocal technique to service both the disturbing and humorous character." 

- Jean-Marcel Humbert, ForumOpera, 06/11/19

 

"Caroline Meng's glorious Neptune succeeds by powerfully projecting roundness and warmth."

- François Lehel, Opera Magazine, January 2020

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