After Mady Mesplé’s death this summer, French lyric art once again is mourning a great artist. Soprano Christiane Eda-Pierre passed away at the age of 88 this Sunday, September 5, 2020.

She began her career at the Nice Opéra in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles. The Opéra national de Paris, La Monnaie de Bruxelles and the Festival d’Aix offer her some of her greatest roles with Mozart, Verdi, Wagner or even Offenbach (as Antonia from Les Contes d’Hoffman directed by Patrice Chéreau). In front of thousands of spectators, she had a huge succes at Central Park in New York where she sang with Luciano Pavarotti as partner in Verdi’s Rigoletto.

Another highlight of her career, in 1983, Christiane Eda-Pierre created the role of the Angel in Saint François d’Assise, the only opera composed by Olivier Messiaen. Despite her farewell to the stage, she remains very active teaching at the CNSM in Paris.

Born in Martinique, the first black French lyric singer never stoped encouraging young talents from France and overseas. Among them, Fabrice di Falco, as a heir, continues to encourage vocations with the Concours Voix des Outre-mer.

Photo : Livre : © “Christiane Eda-Pierre. Une vie d’excellence”