Lyric soprano Madeleine Pierard excels in adventurous repertoire, ranging from baroque and bel canto masterpieces to 20th century and contemporary compositions, and is noted for her outstanding vocal dexterity and electrifying stage presence. A native New Zealander, she studied at the Royal College of Music and the National Opera Studio, garnering numerous awards including the Lexus Song Quest, Lies Askonas and Royal Overseas League prizes, and was subsequently awarded a coveted place on the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. She is a New Generation Artist with the Arts Foundation of New Zealand and studies with Yvonne Kenny.

For The Royal Opera, Madeleine has sung the roles of Contessa di Folleville (Il Viaggio a Reims), Musetta (La Boheme), Lisa (La Sonnambula), Sandmann (Hänsel und Gretel), Sacerdotessa (Aida), Noémie (Cendrillon), Wood Nymph (Rusalka) and Costanza in Haydn’s L’isola disabitata in Hobart, Tasmania. Also for The Royal Opera, she has covered the roles of Violetta, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Marfa (The Tsar’s Bride) and Leila (Les Pêcheurs de Perles). She featured in the BBC’s landmark television series ‘Maestro at the Opera’ in association with The Royal Opera House, singing the roles of Rosalinde, Donna Anna and Musetta. Madeleine’s other recent roles include the title role in Charpentier’s Louise at the Buxton Festival, Musetta in the Copley/ROH production in Istanbul, Anne Trulove (The Rake’s Progress) with and Marzelline (Fidelio) with the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra and NBR New Zealand Opera, Musetta in Francesca Zambello’s production of La Boheme at the Royal Albert Hall, Musetta with NZ Opera and Vitellia (La Clemenza di Tito) and Fiordiligi with Auckland Opera Studio.

Madeleine is much in demand on the concert platform, her recent appearances including performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Poulenc’s Stabat Mater with the London Philharmonia at the Royal Festival Hall, Haydn’s Creation with the NZ Symphony Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Handel’s Messiah and a tour of China with the NZSO, a summer concert with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne in France and Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with Stroma. She has also featured as a soloist with the Royal Ballet in Fauré’s Requiem and Poulenc’s Gloria as well as the Birmingham Royal Ballet in Carmina Burana at the Coliseum in London. A noted recitalist, she has appeared alongside Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and at the Wigmore and Cadogan Halls and has toured New Zealand with pianist, Terence Dennis. Madeleine has also sung numerous recitals at The Royal Opera House, both as a Jette Parker Young Artist and Alumnus.

Madeleine’s future engagements include the role of Pat Nixon in John Adams’ Nixon in China, Ross Harris’s Symphony No. 2 on tour with the NZSO and Violetta in La Traviata for NZ Opera. Madeleine will also be singing a role in the Autumn season at The Royal Opera House.