Full Biography
French mezzo-soprano Gaëlle Arquez is one of the most prominent stars of the opera world. After graduating from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, the young mezzo-soprano made her debut at Opéra National de Paris in Michael Haneke’s production of Don Giovanni (Zerlina) under the direction of Philippe Jordan. Since then, Arquez has established herself on the international stage, performing in leading opera houses worldwide such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro alla Scala, the Opéra National de Paris, London’s Royal Opera House, the Berlin State Opera, Theater an der Wien and the Vienna State Opera. Celebrated early in her career with a 1st prize at the Wigmore Hall/Independent Opera Fellowship competition and a nomination for “Révélation Lyrique” at the Victoires de la Musique, she released her acclaimed debut album “Ardente Flamme” on Deutsche Grammophon in 2017.
Gaëlle Arquez is set to embark on a diverse and exciting 2025/26 season. The mezzo-soprano makes her highly anticipated debut at Grand Théâtre de Genève as Isabella in Julien Chavaz’ new production of L’Italiana in Algeri under the baton of Michele Spotti. She sees her first performances at The Greek National Opera in her signature role of Carmen in Romain Gilbert’s new production of the Bizet opera. She returns to The Royal Theatre of La Monnaie in Brussels as Idamante in Calixto Bieito’s production of Idomeneo and at the Royal Opera of Versailles she sees performances as Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and in the title role of Rossini’s La Cenerentola – the role she later reprises at Opéra National de Paris.
On the concert stage, the mezzo-soprano makes her highly anticipated Japan debut with the NHK Symphony orchestra and Stéphane Denève in Berlioz’ Les Nuits d’été in Tokyo. She returns to Monaco to perform Ravel’s Scheherazade with Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under Alondra de la Parra. With the Oviedo Filarmonía the mezzo can be heard in Rossini’s Stabat Mater under the baton of Lucas Macías.
Additional career highlights include Idamante in Idomeneo under the direction of René Jacobs at the Theater an der Wien, a production which was also taken to the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York in 2016; Falstaff and L’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Opéra de Paris; Radamisto and Teseo at the Frankfurt Opera; Così fan tutte at the Bayerische Staatsoper; Castor et Pollux at Komische Opera Berlin; and Cendrillon at Opéra de Lille.
Gaëlle Arquez has earned international acclaim for the breadth and versatility of her repertoire, with particular distinction in her signature role of Carmen. She first took on the part in Barrie Kosky’s celebrated production for Oper Frankfurt, which also marked her debut at the Royal Opera House. This success quickly led to appearances at the Bregenzer Festspiele in Kasper Holten’s production. Since then, she has performed the role at leading houses including Bayerische Staatsoper, the Berlin State Opera, Opéra Comique, Opera National de Paris, Teatro Real Madrid and in celebrated productions at the Edinburgh Festival and on a European tour under René Jacobs. Most recently she made her house debut of Carmen at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, further cementing Carmen as the defining cornerstone of her repertoire.
A frequent guest at Opéra National de Paris, she has starred in major roles such as Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), La belle Dulcinée (Don Quichotte), the title role in Giulio Cesare and La Cenerentola. She is also highly associated with the Opéra Comique where she has appeared in the title role of Fantasio and Isolier in Le comte Ory. She debuted at the Metropolitan Opera as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro and has also performed at the Vienna State Opera as Charlotte in Werther and in the title role of Gluck’s Armide. The mezzo made her role and house debut at La Scala as Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri and at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées she has seen performances in works ranging from Così fan tutte to the title roles in Giulio Cesare and Iphigénie en Tauride. At Oper Frankfurt, she made significant role debuts including Charlotte in Werther, Ruggiero in Alcina, Adalgisa in Norma, as well as in the title roles of Pelléas et Mélisande and Serse. The mezzo-soprano made her first appearance at Opéra de Monte-Carlo in Ravel’s L’heure espagnole and L’Enfant et les Sortilèges, in the roles of Concepción and L’enfant respectively.
Recent concert highlights include Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer with the Wiener Symphoniker, Vanina in a concert version of Saint-Saëns’ L’Ancêtre with Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and Iphigénie in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride in a semi-staged production at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg under Thomas Hengelbrock. At the Opéra Royal de Versailles she appeared in a concert version of Händel’s Alcina as Ruggiero. Arquez sang the mezzo-soprano solo in Rossini’s Stabat Mater twice: at Ljubljana’s Cankarjev Dom and with the Orchestre National de Montpellier. The mezzo-soprano has been a frequent soloist with Le Cercle de l’Harmonie performing solo concerts. She has worked with prestigious festivals such as The Gstaad Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New-York and the Rheingau Musik Festival where she recently sang with Rolando Villazón under the baton of Alondra de la Parra. Regularly performing song recitals with pianist Susan Manoff, she has been heard at Opéra de Lille and Opéra Comique. Arquez’ artistry has also brought her to emblematic events such as the nationally broadcast Bastille Day concert in Paris, further confirming her standing as one of today’s most sought-after mezzo-sopranos.
© CSAM, August 2025
