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, Grand Théâtre de Genève, 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 2026/27 season. Highlights include her return to Teatro alla Scala as Dulcinée in Massenet’s Don Quichotte, a return to La Monnaie in Brussels for a new production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola, performances as Maddalena in Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and her debut at the Deutsche Oper Berlin as Carmen. On the concert stage, she reunites with Alondra de la Parra for Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and a concert performance of Carmen at the Festival Escena Escorial, and performs Ravel’s Shéhérazade with the ORCAM orchestra in Madrid.
Recent operatic highlights include the mezzo-soprano’s debut at the Grand Théâtre de Genève as Isabella in Julien Chavaz’ new production of Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri under the baton of Michele Spotti. She saw performances of Idomeneo at La Monnaie in Brussels, Theater an der Wien and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. She appeared at the Royal Opera of Versailles in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas and in the title role of Rossini’s La Cenerentola. 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, The Greek National Opera and in celebrated productions at the Edinburgh Festival, PAAX Festival in Mexico 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 the world premiere of Manfred Trojahn’s Je suis l’idée maîtresse for mezzo-soprano and orchestra with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège in 2026, followed by her highly anticipated Japan debut with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under Stéphane Denève in Berlioz’ Les Nuits d’été in Tokyo. She returned to the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo to perform Ravel’s Shéhérazade under Alondra de la Parra and sang Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 under the same conductor in Mexico. Arquez also appeared with the Oviedo Filarmonía in Rossini’s Stabat Mater under Lucas Macías, adding to previous performances of the work at Ljubljana’s Cankarjev dom and with the Orchestre National de Montpellier. Further highlights include Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer with the Wiener Symphoniker, a concert performance of Saint-Saëns’ L’Ancêtre with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, a semi-staged performance of Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg under Thomas Hengelbrock, and a concert performance of Handel’s Alcina at the Opéra Royal de Versailles. A frequent concert and recital artist, Arquez has appeared with Le Cercle de l’Harmonie and at leading international festivals including the Gstaad Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, and the Rheingau Musik Festival. Regularly appearing in recital with pianist Susan Manoff, she has been heard at the 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 2026
