Béatrice Uria-Monzon

Béatrice Uria-Monzon (28 December 1963 – 19 July 2025) was a French mezzo-soprano. Her signature role was Bizet's Carmen, performed first in 1993 at the Opéra Bastille and then at leading opera houses especially in France, but also at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, the Metropolitan Opera in New York City and La Scala in Milan. She focused on French repertoire, including Charlotte in Massenet's Werther and other of the composer's heroines, and Béatrice in Béatrice et Bénédict and Marguerite in la Damnation de Faust, both by Berlioz. She also portrayed characters from the Italian repertoire, such as Eboli in Verdi's Don Carlos and Santuzza in Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, later also including soprano roles such as Puccini's Tosca. She appeared in world premieres including Luca Francesconi's Trompe-la-mort in Paris in 2017.

Life and career

Early life and education

Uria-Monzon was born in Agen near Bordeaux on 28 December 1963, Anthony Tommasini wrote for the New York Times, that her voice was dusky and rich, "quite sizable when she unleashes a climactic high note", 2009: Chevalier of te Légion d'honneur 2018: Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite; 2006 : chevalière (31349) Uria-Monzon, an asteroid, was named after her. Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges (Sméraldine), orchestre du Opéra de Lyon, cond. Kent Nagano, Virgin ClassicsArthaus Lalo: Fiesque (Julie), Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier, cond. Alain Altinoglu, Deutsche Grammophon

Other vocal works Berlioz: Cantates, La Mort de Cléopâtre, Orchestre national de Lille, cond. Casadesus, Naxos Franck: Rédemption (Archangel), Lambert Wilson (narrator), Orfeón Donostiarra, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, cond. Michel Plasson, Musical Heritage Society Offenbach: The Tales of Hoffmann (Giulietta), Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, cond. Jesus Lopez-Cobos, TDK Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges (Fata Morgana), Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris, cond. Sylvain Cambreling, TDK Thomas, Hamlet (Gertrude), orchestre of the Liceu, cond. Bertrand de Billy, EMI Wagner: Tannhäuser (Venus), with Peter Seiffert (Tannhäuser) and (Elisabeth), orchestra of the Liceu, cond. Sebastian Weigle, C Major (DVD and Blu-ray).