Stephanie Piercey Beames, Soprano

Biography

Stephanie Piercey Beames, Soprano

Exceptional vocal beauty and an engaging artistry have made Stephanie Piercey a much sought-after performer. A graduate of the University of Toronto, early in her career Stephanie focused on the Mozartean repertoire, singing the Queen of the Night, Donna Anna and Fiordiligi, then moving on to perform Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Amina in La Sonnambula and Gilda in Rigoletto. She made her debut as a last minute replacement in the title role of Opera in Concert's 1996 production of Massenet's Manon in the Jane Mallet Theatre in Toronto’s St Lawrence Centre for the Arts. At ease in concert, oratorio, and recital as well as opera, she has performed in Canada, the United States, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

As a guest artist in the Czech Republic, Stephanie has performed Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Leonora (Il Trovatore) and Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) at the Silesian State Opera and Usti State Opera. She reprised the role of Donna Anna in Geneva, Switzerland at the Forum de Meyrin and has also been heard in recital at the Jugendstil Theater in Vienna in a series of recitals featuring the music of Richard Strauss. Becoming known as a specialist in the Verdian repertoire Stephanie was featured as a guest artist, replacing Katia Ricciarelli in a series of Verdi concerts, which took place in many of the most renowned concert halls in Germany. She performed in Munich at the Gasteig Philharmonie, Düsseldorf in the Tonhalle and the famed Berlin Philharmonic. Repertoire included arias from Aida, La forza del destino, Un ballo in maschera and excerpts from Il Trovatore. Stephanie had the privilege of singing Leonora to legendary Italian baritone, Piero Capuccili’s Count di Luna.

After covering the role of Leonora in English National Opera’s production of Il Trovatore early in 2000, Stephanie became a favorite guest artist, covering a host of roles in their repertoire including Mimi, Butterfly, Female Chorus and Susannah in Kovanschina. As well as singing with the English National Opera, Stephanie has had the opportunity to sing the roles of Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana), Leonora (Il Trovatore), Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) and Madama Butterfly with many smaller companies in the United Kingdom. She performed with British conductor Alexander Ingram at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the London Phoenix Orchestra as Lisa in the Queen of Spades and Tatiana in Eugene Onegin.

In Canada Stephanie has performed with York Opera as Madama Butterfly and in solo recital at the St. Lawrence Hall. She toured Ontario with the Three Canadian Divas, performing in many regional halls, culminating in a final performance at the Glen Gould Theatre. She debuted the role of Fiordiligi at the West End Theatre in New York City with Opera Domani. In 2005, Stephanie sang the title role in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda, at the Jane Mallett Theatre, squaring off against mezzo soprano, Julie Nesrallah’s Queen Elizabeth, for Opera in Concert to ‘critical acclaim’. She has also sung with the Musicians of the World symphony at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau in Montreal, Canada. She is a regular guest artist for Italian Week, Ottawa, hosted by the Italian Ambassador and was a member of the Artists Ensemble for Pellegrini Opera, where the most recent addition to her performance repertoire has been the role of Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, in the spring of 2010.

Since returning to Canada, Stephanie has had the opportunity of performing with many Canadian artists and, in particular, has had the privilege of performing with Jazz saxophonist, Jean-Denis Dubuc. She recently participated in a collaborative disk with Jean-Denis, featuring the ‘Agnus Dei’ from the Bach Mass in B minor, uniting voice and saxophone in a remarkable interpretation. The disk is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2012. Stephanie also made the acquaintance of celebrated Canadian choral composer, Donald Patriquin, who subsequently wrote the Magnificat for Turning for her, which she premiered with ensemble and choir in Pointe Clair, Québec and in the Eastern Townships. She will be performing the Magnificat for Turning as the featured guest artist with the East York Choir in Toronto in celebration of their 25th anniversary.

Stephanie also has considerable experience as a concert soloist. She performed the Vivaldi Gloria with the Zurich Symphony Orchestra and the Zurich Women’s Choir in Switzerland under the baton of Claude Villaret. She performed the Mozart Requiem with the Chœur Polyphonique de Charlevoix at the Domain Forget, Québec under the baton of conductor Sylvain Landry and has sung with the choir on several other occasions. Early in her career, she sang with the Eastern Ontario Orchestra, now the Quinte Symphony, and the Ottawa Valley Festival and most recently with the Durham Symphony Orchestra where she performed the Four Last Songs of Richard Strauss to ‘critical acclaim’. She recently sang in recital in Ottawa, and also performed at the Museum of Civilization in Théâtre Lyrique d’Hull’s annual ‘Black & White.’

Stephanie has expanded her operatic repertoire to include Turandot (Turandot), Elizabetta (Don Carlos), Elsa (Lohengrin) and the magnificent Isolde (Wagner), all of which are beautifully suited to the qualities of her voice. Her discography includes Nocturne, Phoenix Records, a collection of the songs of Samuel Barber and Im Abendrot, the Bandeen Hall recital, featuring the Four Last Songs of Strauss. Stephanie is also a professor of voice at École de Musique d’Outaouais in Gatineau, Québec. Stephanie is completely bilingual in English and French, and sings in seven languages including German, Italian, Russian Czech and Spanish. She has worked under the tutelage of Georg Tintner, Lorenzo Palomo, Nick Carthy, Alexander Ingram and Janice Chapman in England and Dixie Ross Neill and William Neill in Canada. Listening selections are available on Youtube.com under, ‘Stephanie Piercey’, Soprano.

Contact Information: Stephanie Piercey Beames 192 de Morency, Apt. 101 Gatineau, Québec, Canada, J8V 2H9 Tel/Fax : (1) 819- 503- 6202 stephaniebeames@gmail.com