©Photo: Fay Fox

Rihab Chaieb

Mezzo-soprano

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“Her smoky, beguiling mezzo was poised and pliant, and she cut an exotic, authoritative figure”
(Opera Today)

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Tunisian-born Rihab Chaieb was a member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, where she appeared in productions of L’italiana in Algeri, Luisa Miller, Cavalleria Rusticana and Hänsel und Gretel among others, earning praise for dramatic charm, vocal clarity and sensuous tone. Since embarking on her freelance career, Chaieb has made a number of important debuts, positioning herself as a name of note in the lyric mezzo-soprano repertoire.

Demonstrating repertoire versatility these last seasons, Rihab Chaieb debuted at Dutch National Opera as Lola in Robert Carsen’s new staging of Cavalleria rusticana under Lorenzo Viotti, sang Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at Cincinnati Opera, was Offenbach’s Fantasio at Opéra et Orchestre National de Montpellier, returned to The Met as Zerlina in Don Giovanni under Cornelius Meister, and received unanimous acclaim for her role debut as Carmen in Lydia Steier’s intensive new production for Oper Köln. The 20/21 season includes her first Charlotte in Massenet’s Werther in concert performances at Opera Vlaanderen under Giedrė Šlekytė, and further ahead she returns to The Met as Nefertiti in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten.

Mon Coeur s’ouvre a ta voix (excerpt) Operalia 2018 © Medici.tv

Chaieb has made several recent orchestral debuts including de Falla’s Three-Cornered Hat both with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Otto Tausk and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Carlos Miguel Prieto, Rossini arias with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal under Music Director Kent Nagano, and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at the Toronto Summer Music Festival. Concert appearances in the 20/21 season include Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal under Johannes Debus, Handel’s Messiah with Orchestre Classique de Montréal, and Bach’s Mass in B minor with Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin – Rihab also joined the latter in a special audiovisual recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 for Deutsche Grammophon’s new online platform, DG Stage, over the summer. A keen recitalist, Rihab has previously appeared in London with pianist James Bailleu and will be presented together with pianist Jennifer Szeto this season in Montréal.

A former member of both the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, where she earned major acclaim as Sesto (La clemenza di Tito), and San Francisco Opera’s Merola Opera Program, where she debuted as Cherubino, Chaieb also enjoyed several summers at the Glyndebourne Festival as Mércedès (Carmen) under Jakub Hrůša, and Flora (La traviata) under Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Further operatic highlights include Dorabella (Così fan tutte) at Teatro Santiago de Chile, Kasturbai in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha at Opera Vlaanderen, and for Houston Grand Opera, a trio of roles in the world premiere of Tarik O’Regan’s The Phoenix, based on the life of Lorenzo Da Ponte.

The recipient of many major grants, Rihab Chaieb has also enjoyed competition success, taking Third Prize at the 2018 Operalia Competition, winning the 2016 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, and taking prizes at both the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the 2018 George London Foundation Competition.

Bizet: 'L’amour est un oiseau rebelle', Carmen © Concours musical international de Montreal

Mozart: 'Il padre adorato', Idomeneo © Concours musical international de Montreal

Liszt: 'Die drei Zigeuner' © Concours musical international de Montreal

“Rihab Chaieb [was] a warm, sensuous Lola”

(Opera Magazine, December 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb brought a strong personality and attractive mezzo to Dorabella.”

(Opera Magazine, December 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb delivers an outstanding performance as Lola.”

(Het Parool, September 2019)

“Lola, a vocally seductive Rihab Chaieb.”

(Bachtrack, September 2019)

“As Malibran, a coltish Mozart and Da Ponte’s long-suffering wife Nancy, the mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb made a solid company debut with her luxurious singing of two gorgeous arias”

(Opera Magazine, July 2019)

“especially mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, who earned the evening’s biggest ovation for Cherubino…Her physical agility was equalled by a lovely, rich sound that easily projected”

(City Beat Cincinnati, June 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb was an endearing Cherubino, singing both her arias with impeccable Mozartian finesse.”

(Seen & Heard, June 2019)

“Chaieb brought her glowing tones to three roles: famed singer Maria Malibran, then Mozart and Nancy da Ponte in the opera-within-an-opera. The mischievous energy of Chaieb’s Mozart complemented the warmth of her portrayal of wife and mother Nancy…Chaieb’s rich-voiced resoluteness made that another of The Phoenix’s most powerful moments.”

(Texas Classical Review, April 2019)

“Young mezzo Rihab Chaieb, in her HGO debut, is a delightful surprise in her triple role as Nancy, 19^th-century superstar Maria Malibran and fiery Mozart. Nancy’s “Lullaby” to her children felled by disease is achingly poignant. Chaieb supplies vibrant life and emotional connection to her characters”

(Houston Press, April 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb had presence from her first entrance as Fantasio, displaying her distinctive natural timbre, good flexibility and poised top notes.”

(Forum Opéra, January 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb succeeded with flying colours as Fantasio. Her aria ’Voyes dans le nuit brune’ was particularly enchanting and demonstrated her clean lines, impressive diction and exceptional lower range. In short, a truly special voice!”

(Opéra-Online, January 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb triumphs in the title role of Fantasio, demonstrating her round, wide-ranging voice.”

(Concertonet, January 2019)

“Rihab Chaieb sounded fresh and youthful as the village girl Laura.”

(Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, April 2018)

“Rihab Chaieb impressed as Lola, standing out from the crowd”

(Bachtrack, January 2018)

“Rihab Chaieb’s shimmery-voiced Lola”

(Financial Times, January 2018)

“Rihab Chaieb was superb as Alfio’s dallying young bride Lola, showing an alluring smoke in her voice.”

(New York Classical Review, January 2018)

“the mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb threw herself heroically into the [role of the Prince] – a character reminiscent of Bluebeard”

(Opera Magazine, December 2017)

“Rihab Chaieb’s high-maintenance Flora was a sensuous vocal presence”

(Yehuda Shapiro, Opera Magazine, October 2017)

“As her lover, mezzo Rihab Chaieb, working a pipe and an enigmatic sneer/smile, sounded properly seductive.”

(Opera News, October 2017)

“Rihab Chaieb has a rapturous voice, full of lush colours.”

(Schmopera, October 2017)

“In the trouser role of the Fairy Prince, Rihab Chaieb matched her co-star strength for strength. Her smoky, beguiling mezzo was poised and pliant, and she cut an exotic, authoritative figure as the swaggering royal. Ms Chiaeb is a first rate musician who ably met the considerable musical demands set out for her, including an easy sensuality in her caressing manner with any number of loving, arched phrases.”

(Opera Today, September 2017)

“and [the] androgynous Fair Prince, Rihab Chaieb, a charismatic mezzo-soprano”

(New York Times, Anthony Tommasini, September 2017)

“Rihab Chaieb was the prince, slipping on a throaty and agile mezzo.”

(Philadelphia Inquirer, September 2017)

“Of the smaller roles, Flora (Rihab Chaieb) [was] especially well sung and dramatically convincing, too”

(Opera Magazine, July 2017)

“Rihab Chaieb’s warm Flora”

(Bachtrack, May 2017)

“The vibrant Canadian-Tunisian mezzo Rihab Chaieb, as Elvira’s slave, Zulma”

(New York Times, October 2016)

“Mezzo Rihab Chaieb made a solid first Met appearance as Elvira’s friend Zulma”