Rosemarie Landry

2023 Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award (Classical Music)

Soprano and voice teacher

Recognized worldwide as an exceptional interpreter of French vocal works and a leading authority on French-language music, soprano Rosemarie Landry has made a significant contribution to classical music and Canadian culture. She has performed internationally in recital, concert and opera, both live and on radio and television, and appeared with leading orchestras and at chamber music festivals. A respected professor at the Université de Montréal (UdeM), she also regularly gives masterclasses at renowned schools and universities around the world.
 
A native of Caraquet, New Brunswick, Ms. Landry was born in 1946 and studied in Montréal, Toronto, Québec and Paris. She is proud of her heritage: “Being Acadian is in my blood. My roots are not in the earth, but in the sea,” she says.
 
A noted recitalist, she toured extensively with renowned pianist Dalton Baldwin and has made numerous recordings in Canada, France and Japan. One of the last students of eminent French baritone and teacher Pierre Bernac, a friend and colleague of Francis Poulenc, Ms. Landry strives to pass on the knowledge she has acquired to future generations.
 
Ms. Landry retired from the stage in 2001 and accepted her current position as head of the classical singing program in UdeM’s music faculty. Under her direction, the program has become internationally renowned, attracting students from across Canada and beyond.
 
Alongside her career as a performer and teacher, Ms. Landry has supported numerous cultural institutions as an administrator (Ontario Arts Foundation); board member (National Arts Centre, Ontario Arts Council, Orchestre de la Francophonie, Sylva Gelber Foundation, International Vocal Arts Institute, Institut canadien d’art vocal); artistic director (classical concert series, Festival acadien de Caraquet); and advisory committee member (Canada Council for the Arts, National Film Board, Jeunesses musicales du Canada).
 
Rosemarie Landry is a Member of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and a Knight of the Ordre de la Pléiade (Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie). Her many awards and distinctions include Opera Canada’s Rubies Award, Prix Montfort, Léger-Comeau Award (Société nationale des Acadiens), New Brunswick Arts Council Award of Excellence, and honorary doctorates from three Canadian universities.