Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique gains international acclaim

Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique has in recent years gained international recognition for her “dramatic presence and versatility,” and “sheer endless wealth of colour and nuances […] a radiant, free-floating timbre.”

De Bebique says on her webpage that the season 21/22 commenced with role and house debuts as Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and Iván Fischer in Budapest, Geneva and Vicenza, followed by the title role in Handel’s Alcina in Robert Carsen’s acclaimed production at l’Opera national de Paris, conducted by Thomas Hengelbrock. 

De Bique says she is also “looking forward to new collaborations” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel, Martin Fröst and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic and Herbert Blomstedt, the WDR Symphony Orchestra and two recitals with pianist Gerold Huber for the Cincinnati Song Initiative and at Carnegie Hall, which will also be her solo debut at this hall.  

Her first solo-CD, with Concerto Köln, was released in October by Berlin Classics, followed by concerts in early 2022. 

De Bique said the season will conclude with a role and house debut at the Aix-en-Provence Festival.

In 2020/21, she says she gave “house and role debuts” as Agathe in Weber’s Der Freischütz with Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Christoph Eschenbach, Bess/Porgy and Bess and as La Folie in Robert Carsen’s celebrated production of Rameau’s Platée at Theater an der Wien, conducted by William Christie, also presented in concert at Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. 

De Bebique also says she performed excerpts from Porgy and Bess with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and with the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, both conducted by Wayne Marshall, and returned to Theater St Gallen as Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare.  

In the US, De Bique performed Beethoven’s Symphony no 9 at the Aspen Music Festival and gave her debut with Houston Grand Opera in excerpts from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music and a program of works by Handel and Mozart, conducted by Patrick Summers.

Since her breakthrough debut at the 2017 Salzburg Festival as Annio in Peter Sellar’s production of La Clemenza di Tito, conducted by Teodor Currentzis and subsequently shown at De Nationale Opera Amsterdam, De Bique says she has appeared as Susanna/Le Nozze di Figaro for San Francisco Opera, Helena in Ted Huffman’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Deutsche Oper Berlin, conducted by Donald Runnicles, in the title role of Handel’s Rodelinda at Opéra de Lille, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm.

She says she has also released on DVD by Erato (winner of the Opus Klassik Award 2020), as Donna Anna in Don Giovanni for Opéra National du Rhin and as Aida in the world premiere of Caruso a Cuba by Micha Hamel in a return to De Nationale Opera Amsterdam. 

De Bique’s concert highlights include Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem with Raphaël Pichon at La Seine Musicale in Paris and with Lorin Maazel and the Munich Philharmonic; and Mahler’s Symphony no 2 with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse under Tugan Sokhiev in Toulouse.

She also performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, Handel arias and Mozart’s Requiem with the Budapest Festival Orchestra, and Iván Fischer at the Hollywood Bowl and New York’s Lincoln Center, Mahler’s Symphony no 4, conducted by Teodor Currentzis, in Milan, St. Petersburg, Munich and Budapest.

De Bique says she returned visits to the BBC PROMS in works by Handel with the Chineke! Orchestra and with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Richard Egarr; the Messiah with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Melbourne Symphony; Pärt’s Como cierva sedienta with Iván Fischer and the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Mahler’s Symphony no 8 with Lorin Maazel; and the New York Philharmonic, as well as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Marin Alsop at the Ravinia Festival. 

De Bique holds a Master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music. 

She says her awards include First Prize at the Young Concert Artists, Inc. Music Competition; the Arleen Auger Prize at the Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition; and Third Prize in the Viotti International Music Competition. 

In addition, De Bique says she was a prize winner at the Gerda Lissner Vocal Competition (New York); a finalist and study grant award recipient of the 2011 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; and received a study grant from the Licia Albanese-Puccini Foundation. 

De Bique is a recipient of the Youth Ambassador for Peace, awarded by the National Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Trinidad and Tobago.