Axelle Saint-Cirel (born in 1995) is a French mezzo-soprano.

She became well known to the general public for singing the French national anthem La Marseillaise at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

Childhood and education

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Born in 1995[1] in the region of Paris[2] to parents from Guadeloupe,[3] Saint-Cirel spent part of her childhood in Malaysia. She then returned with her parents and attended the conservatory at Montbéliard. It was there that she was trained in lyrical singing, which allowed her to play a role in the opera Nox by Jacopo Baboni-Schilingi in Tokyo, New York, Beijing, and Shanghai.[4]

In 2017, Saint-Cirel attended the Pôle Supérieur de Boulogne-Billancourt. She then attended the Paris Conservatory in 2019.[4][3]

Career

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In February 2024, Saint-Cirel won the final of the 5th edition of the Overseas Voices Competition held at the Paris Opera and broadcast on Culturebox.[5][6][7][8]

She collaborated with Camélia Jordana, and played Anita in a production of West Side Story at the Paris Conservatory.[2]

On 26 July 2024, Saint-Cirel sang La Marseillaise during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, perched on top of the roof of the Grand Palais.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Axelle Saint-Cirel à l'Heure musicale". lalsace.fr (in French). 7 June 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b "VIDEO. Cérémonie d'ouverture des JO 2024 : qui est Axelle Saint-Cirel, la chanteuse lyrique qui a entonné "La Marseillaise" en robe bleu blanc rouge ?". Franceinfo (in French). 26 July 2024. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Kubik, Suzana (3 March 2023). "Portrait d'Axelle Saint-Cirel, lauréate du Concours des voix des Outre-mer 2023". France Musique (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "JO 2024: qui est Axelle Saint-Cirel, qui a interprété "La Marseillaise" durant la cérémonie d'ouverture?". RMC Sport Jeux Olympiques (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Axelle Saint-Cirel remporte le concours". France Antilles - Martinique (in French). 7 February 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  6. ^ "Axelle Saint-Cirel remporte la 5ème édition du concours Voix des Outre-mer". www.conservatoiredeparis.fr (in French). Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  7. ^ "La Guadeloupéenne Axelle Saint-Cirel, nouvelle Voix des Outre-mer". Mayotte Hebdo (in French). 8 February 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2024.
  8. ^ "La mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel remporte le concours Voix des Outre-mer". ResMusica (in French). 7 February 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2024.