---

WERTHER SPOTLIGHTS LOCAL TALENT

November 21, 26 and 29, 2026

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts, Montréal

MONTRÉAL, November 3, 2026 — Opéra de Montréal presents Werther, one of Jules Massenet’s great Romantic operas, in a French-language production bringing together artists from Quebec and beyond. Fresh from La Scala in Milan and in high demand on the international opera stage, French tenor Julien Dran makes his Montreal debut in the title role. He stars opposite Quebec mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne, who returns to the Opéra de Montréal after a remarkable international career as Charlotte, torn between her feelings and her promise to Albert.

This co-production by Opéra de Montréal, the Canadian Opera Company (Toronto) and Vancouver Opera is directed by Alain Gauthier and features the Orchestre Métropolitain under the musical direction of Jacques Lacombe. Performances take place at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts on November 21 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. and November 29 at 2 p.m.

For tickets, visit https://operademontreal.com/programmes/werther

AN IMPOSSIBLE LOVE

Based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, Werther tells the story of the young poet’s passion for Charlotte, who is already promised to Albert. Unable to renounce his feelings, Werther is trapped in a love that social conventions leave no room for. First performed in 1892, Massenet’s opera places introspection and emotion at its heart, carried by the composer’s intensely lyrical music.

A FRENCH-SPEAKING CAST

The cast includes several artists who are alumni of the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique: Sophie Naubert as Sophie, Tomislav Lavoie as the Bailli and Dante Mullin Santone as Johann. Hugo Laporte portrays Albert, Jeremy Scinocca is Schmidt, Élie Lefebvre-Pellegrino plays Brühlmann and Pascale Brigitte Boilard is Käthchen. Together, these artists reflect the vitality of Quebec’s and Canada’s opera community and the continuity between the Atelier lyrique’s training program and professional careers.

A CANADIAN CO-PRODUCTION WITH STRONG MONTREAL ROOTS

This collaboration among three of Canada’s leading opera companies supports the exchange of artists and works across the country.

Faithful to late 18th-century Germany, Alain Gauthier’s production unfolds in an intimate, autumnal atmosphere, almost as a chamber drama. An engraving of the city of Wetzlar, where the story takes place, is the central set piece. A former Atelier lyrique apprentice and former principal stage manager at the Opéra de Montréal, Gauthier reunites with set designer Olivier Landreville for this production. Jacques Lacombe leads the Orchestre Métropolitain, returning to an opera he has previously conducted in Montreal and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Costumes are designed by Quebec artist Leïlah Dufour Forget, while lighting is by Toronto-based designer Mikael Kangas.

CAST

Werther: Julien Dran

Charlotte: Julie Boulianne *

Sophie: Sophie Naubert *

Albert: Hugo Laporte

The Bailli: Tomislav Lavoie *

Schmidt: Jeremy Scinocca *

Johann: Dante Mullin Santone *

Brühlmann: Élie Lefebvre-Pellegrino

Käthchen: Pascale Brigitte Boilard

CREATIVE TEAM

Stage director: Alain Gauthier *

Music director: Jacques Lacombe

Orchestra: Orchestre Métropolitain

Set design: Olivier Landreville

Costume design: Leïlah Dufour Forget

Lighting design: Mikael Kangas

* Atelier lyrique alumnus

CO-PRODUCTION

Canadian Opera Company (Toronto), Vancouver Opera and Opéra de Montréal

 

Discover Werther in a video hosted by Pierre Vachon, musicologist at the Opéra de Montréal. He will also lead a pre-performance talk one hour before each performance.

Everything you need to know about:

Werther:

PERFORMANCE DATES

Saturday, November 21, 2026 — MONTREAL PREMIERE

Thursday, November 26 — Performance adapted for blind and partially sighted patrons

Sunday, November 29

For tickets, visit https://operademontreal.com/programmes/werther

ABOUT JULIEN DRAN

Born into a family of opera singers, Julien Dran studied piano, French horn and voice in Bordeaux, and soon began performing throughout France and Europe, with a particular affinity for French and Italian repertoire. Recent roles include Dalbavie’s Le Soulier de satin at the Opéra de Paris; L’elisir d’amore and Lucie de Lammermoor in Quebec City; La Fille du régiment in Monte Carlo; Guillaume Tell in Lausanne; Faust in Lille and at the Opéra-Comique; Dialogues des Carmélites in Dresden; I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Amsterdam; and La Damnation de Faust in Rome with the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. This season, he is scheduled to perform Frank Martin’s La Tempête in Geneva, Faust at La Scala in Milan, I Capuleti e i Montecchi in Lausanne, Mireille in Marseille and Lucie de Lammermoor at the Opéra national du Rhin. In concert, he will perform Joncières’s Lancelot with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Rossini’s Stabat Mater and Verdi’s Messa di Gloria with Insula orchestra, and La Damnation de Faust with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

ABOUT JULIE BOULIANNE (ATELIER LYRIQUE ALUM)

A graduate of McGill University and The Juilliard School in New York, Quebec mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne quickly distinguished herself for her musical intelligence and artistic sensitivity, winning several prestigious awards in Canada and the United States. Her broad repertoire ranges from Mozart to bel canto, with a particular affinity for French opera. Her career has taken her to the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Opéra national de Paris, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, La Monnaie in Brussels and the Opéra de Lyon. Her signature roles include Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Stéphano (Roméo et Juliette), Nicklausse (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) and Charlotte (Werther). Also acclaimed in concert and on recordings, she has several recordings nominated for Grammy Awards and Opus Awards. She is an alum of the Atelier lyrique.

ABOUT ALAIN GAUTHIER

Montreal stage director Alain Gauthier trained at the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique and is known for his creativity and work with performers in Canada and the United States. At the Opéra de Montréal, he has directed major works including Faust, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La bohème, Pagliacci/Gianni Schicchi, Il Tabarro/Suor Angelica, Samson et Dalila, Dead Man Walking and Elektra. Two of his Opéra de Montréal productions have won Opus Awards. Elsewhere in Canada, Gauthier has worked with Manitoba Opera, Edmonton Opera, Calgary Opera, Vancouver Opera, Pacific Opera Victoria and Opéra de Québec. In the United States, he has directed productions at Cincinnati Opera, Austin Opera and New York City Opera. A recent career highlight was the creation of a production of La Traviata presented by six Canadian opera companies. The co-production of Werther, which premiered at the Canadian Opera Company last May, will also be presented in a future Vancouver Opera season. He is an Atelier lyrique alumnus.

ABOUT JACQUES LACOMBE

Jacques Lacombe, Music Director of Vancouver Opera, is one of Canada’s most acclaimed conductors on the international stage. He is a former music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse, and has also served as principal conductor of Bonn Opera and principal guest conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal.

A regular guest at prestigious opera houses and symphony orchestras, he has conducted at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Deutsche Oper Berlin and Opéra de Monte-Carlo, as well as with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestre National de France. His repertoire spans a wide range of opera and symphonic works, from the Italian canon to Wagner, Strauss and 20th-century composers. He has collaborated with many of his generation’s leading artists, including Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming, Roberto Alagna, Angela Gheorghiu, Juan Diego Flórez and Yo-Yo Ma. A Knight of the Ordre national du Québec and a Member of the Order of Canada, he is also a professor of conducting at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. Lacombe returns to the Opéra de Montréal, where he has conducted Hamlet, Pelléas et Mélisande (2024), La Reine-garçon (2020), Dead Man Walking (2013) and Aïda (2009).

ABOUT SOPHIE NAUBERT (ATELIER LYRIQUE ALUM)

Sophie Naubert is a coloratura lyric soprano acclaimed for her vocal agility, expressive stage presence and artistic versatility. Following a successful debut in Germany, she is now in her second season as a member of the permanent ensemble at Theater Lübeck. This season, she returns as a guest soloist with Arion Orchestre Baroque and performs Handel’s Messiah with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra. At Theater Lübeck, she appears as Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Sister Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites and Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos. Her career has taken her to the Konzerthaus Berlin, the opera companies of Montreal and Quebec City, and the Classica and Lanaudière festivals. A winner of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (St. Louis district, 2024), she has recorded Massenet’s Mélodies for ATMA Classique. She is an alum of the Atelier lyrique. At the Opéra de Montréal, her roles include Don Giovanni and L’Enfant et les sortilèges(2025–26), and Orphée et Eurydice and Le Couronnement de Poppée (2024–25).

ABOUT THE OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL

Rooted in Montreal, at the crossroads of North American and European cultures, the Opéra de Montréal is a catalyst for the city’s artistic creativity and celebrates Quebec’s and Canada’s rich vocal heritage, bringing opera to life in all its diversity and daring. From the great works of the operatic repertoire to new works from here and abroad, its development program for Canada’s most promising young singers and its strong commitment to community and education, the Opéra de Montréal creates memorable operatic experiences where everyone is warmly welcomed.

-30-

 Source: L'Opéra de Montréal

Pour plus d'informations:

Maryse Bouchard | annexe | maryse@annexe.media