Joyce El-Khoury

Of Joyce El-Khoury’s role debut as Imogene (Il pirata), Opéra magazine wrote:

“…the infinite length of the breath, the science of chiaroscuro, the projection of the treble, the quality of the pianissimi, the variety of accents, in turn authoritarian and vulnerable, including in extraordinarily lively recitatives, as we had not heard them since Maria Callas.”

She opens the Canadian Opera Company’s 2019/20 season as Liù in Puccini’s Turandot, a return after her highly praised Tatyana (Eugene Onegin) last season.  In the spring of 2020, she will create the leading role of Rose in Tobias Picker/Aryeh Lev Stollman’s Opera Theatre of St Louis world premiere (Awakenings), an opportunity given to Joyce after an exceptional and life-changing encounter with Tobias Pickers’ Emmeline in 2015.  Other highlights will include Joyce's company debuts with the Prague Philharmonia (Beethoven's Ninth Symphony), Bilbao Opera (Rossini's Stabat Mater), and Opera de Limoges (Anna in Puccini's Le Villi).

Recent highlights include debuting two major roles in operas by Donizetti (L’Ange de Nisida at the Royal Opera House) and Liszt (Sardanapalo with the Weimar Staatskapelle) - both captured for international release.  Additionally, she debuted another Donizetti Queen - Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux (Welsh National Opera, 2019) with equally shining reviews to her Stuarda (Seattle Opera, 2016).  In additional to the bel canto queens, she delved even deeper into the role of Imogene (Bellini’s Il pirata) in a staged production by the Theater St. Gallen after a highly acclaimed concert performance debut with Opéra National de Bordeaux.  Recent company debuts include Opera Australia and the Teatro Real.  

Ms. El-Khoury’s discography includes three rare Donizetti operas (Les Martyrs, Belisario and L’Ange de Nisida) conducted by Sir Mark Elder – both to critical acclaim.  Her solo disc, ‘Écho’  with The Hallé conducted by Carlo Rizzi was nominated for a 2019 Juno Award.  She also stars on the Audite recording of Liszt’s Sardanapalo featuring the Weimar Staatskapelle.   All of Joyce‘s recording projects, save the Liszt, have been with the Opera Rara label.

On the concert stage, Ms. El-Khoury recently debuted Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra in a live-streamed solo recital conducted by Ryan McAdams and with the Orchestre de Paris in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, under the baton of Jesús López-Cobos, and performed in concerts in Austria with Elīna Garanča, and in Spain with Juan Diego Flórez.

Born in Lebanon and brought up in Canada, Ms. El-Khoury earned her Bachelor of Music at the University of Ottawa. She received her Artist Diploma from the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, and is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She is a First Prize winner in many competitions including: the Loren L. Zachary Competition, the Opera Index Competition, the George London Foundation, and the Mario Lanza Vocal Competition.