Axelle Saint-Cirel

(Mezzosoprano)

Mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel was catapulted into public awareness with her stunning rendition of la Marseillaise on the rooftop of the Grand Palais during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, hailed ​“A truly groundbreaking discovery” by France 2. A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, Saint-Cirel joins the prestigious Salzburg Young Singers Project in the summer of 2025 as one of only 14 participants selected through audition from hundreds of applicants and will perform as part of this year’s Salzburg Festspiele. The 2025/26 season for Saint-Cirelle brings debuts at the Wexford Festival in Delius’ The Magic Fountain (Watawa), at Opéra national de Bordeaux in Die Zauberflöte (Zweite Dame) and at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées under the auspices of Les Voix d’Outre mer in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (Maria). Performance experience so far includes the roles of Maman, La tasse chinoise, and La libellule in Ravel’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges under the direction of Kazuki Yamada and in a production by Jean-Louis Grinda at Opéra de Monte-Carlo Opera as well as Dinah, Anita, and Ruth in a trilogy of Bernstein’s musicals Trouble in Tahiti, West Side Story and Wonderful Town. As Carmen she has performed at Opéra d’Avignon and as Nicklausse in Les Contes d’Hoffmann on tour in the French overseas territories with Les Voix d’Outre mer. Axelle Saint-Cirel was the representative for France at Opera for Peace’s 2023 Academy, and was named an Emerging Artist for the 2024 – 2025 season. Winner of the international Gordes Melody, the Nuits Lyriques de Marmande and Voix des Outre-mer Competition, she was also a finalist of the 2023 Génération Opéra programme. Axelle Saint-Cirel has benefited from masterclasses with renowned artists such as Anne Sofie Von Otter, Barbara Frittoli, Stéphane Fuget, Brian Jagde, Sumi Jo and Sophie Koch and was invited by Sabine Devieilhe to join her for a programme of Mozart concert arias at Salle Gaveau. A multi-faceted performer, Axelle has experience in both jazz and musical theatre alongside her core opera training and is a sought-after performer for large-scale public fixtures, fashion shows and private events.