Monique de Pondeau
Monique de Pondeau | |
|---|---|
| Born | Monique Germaine Albane Soueix de Pondeau January 3, 1929 Versailles, France |
| Died | December 16, 1988 (aged 59) Saint-Laurent-et-Benon, Gironde, France |
| Education | Conservatoire de Paris |
| Occupations | Opera singer, voice teacher |
Spouse | André Dran |
Monique de Pondeau (3 January 1929 – 16 December 1988) was a French soprano, active mainly from the 1950s to the 1970s, and a voice teacher at the Bordeaux Conservatoire.
Biography
Born Monique Germaine Albane Soueix de Pondeau in Versailles,[1][2] she studied voice and began performing on French stages in the mid-1950s. In 1956, she performed the role of Passerole in the opera Le Chevalier de neige at the Grand Théâtre de Nancy under the direction of Jésus Etcheverry.[3] The production was revived at the Opéra-Comique during the 1960–1961 season.[3]
She joined the company of the Paris Opera. There, she sang the role of Elvire in La Muette de Portici in 1971, performing alongside André Mallabrera and Pierre Lamy under the direction of Jean Doussard.[4] The same year, she portrayed Claudine in La Fille du tambour-major alongside Christiane Harbell and Louis Musy, conducted by Richard Blareau.[5] Earlier in 1962, she performed the role of Monica in Gian Carlo Menotti's The Medium at the Opéra-Comique, appearing alongside Denise Scharley and Solange Michel.[6][7]
After 1971, de Pondeau turned her focus toward teaching. She became a voice professor at the Bordeaux Conservatoire, where she trained several notable students, including Agnès Massias-Bognenko, who won multiple awards in her class.[8]
She died on 16 December 1988 in Saint-Laurent-et-Benon (Gironde).[1][2]
Personal life
Monique de Pondeau was the mother of the operatic tenor Thierry Dran.[9] Through him, she was the grandmother of tenor Julien Dran, continuing three generations of opera singers within the family.[10]
Repertoire
| Year | Work | Role | Venue | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Le Chevalier de neige | Passerole | Grand Théâtre de Nancy | [3] |
| 1960–1961 | Le Chevalier de neige | Passerole | Opéra-Comique | [3] |
| 1962 | The Medium (Le Médium) | Monica | Opéra-Comique | [6] |
| 1971 | La Muette de Portici | Elvire | Opéra de Paris | [4] |
| 1971 | La Fille du tambour-major | Claudine | Opéra de Paris | [5] |
Recordings
| Year | Work | Role | Conductor | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | La Muette de Portici | Elvire | Jean Doussard | Accord | [4] |
| 1971 | La Fille du tambour-major | Claudine | Richard Blareau | Accord | [5] |
References
- 1 2 "SOUEIX DE PONDEAU Monique Germaine Albane". deces.matchid.io (in French). Retrieved 2026-05-10.
- 1 2 "Opera Cantatrices". artlyrique.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2026.
PONDEAU Monique de (Monique Germaine Albane SOUEIX DE PONDEAU dite)
- 1 2 3 4 "Le Chevalier de neige". Les Archives du spectacle (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Monique de Pondeau". Bibliothèque nationale de France (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "La Fille Du Tambour Major". CeDe.com. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- 1 2 "L'Opéra-Comique, 1945-1970 : de nouveaux opéras". OpenEdition Journals (in French). 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Médium (le) de Gian Carlo Menotti". Base Régie théâtrale (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Agnès Massias-Bognenko". Festival Eufonia (in French). 9 August 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Obituary: Tenor Thierry Dran Passes at 67". OperaWire. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2026.
- ↑ "Julien Dran". Opéra national de Paris (in French). Retrieved 8 May 2026.