At age16, after studying piano, Jean-François Lapointe devoted himself entirely to singing. He worked under Louise André at Université Laval in Quebec City before completing his tuition in the United States with Martial Singher. He has been the recipient of over twenty awards, including three from the prestigious Concours international de chant de Paris.

Since his stage debut at 17, Jean-François Lapointe has sung over fifty roles in the world’s foremost musical capitals. Hailed for his great roles from the standard repertoire, he nonetheless does not hesitate to take on more rarely performed works. For example, he held the title role in the French premiere of Bernstein’s Candide, a production which toured throughout Europe, he portrayed Mârouf in the reprise of Mârouf, Savetier...

At age16, after studying piano, Jean-François Lapointe devoted himself entirely to singing. He worked under Louise André at Université Laval in Quebec City before completing his tuition in the United States with Martial Singher. He has been the recipient of over twenty awards, including three from the prestigious Concours international de chant de Paris.

Since his stage debut at 17, Jean-François Lapointe has sung over fifty roles in the world’s foremost musical capitals. Hailed for his great roles from the standard repertoire, he nonetheless does not hesitate to take on more rarely performed works. For example, he held the title role in the French premiere of Bernstein’s Candide, a production which toured throughout Europe, he portrayed Mârouf in the reprise of Mârouf, Savetier du Caire at the Opéra de Marseille, and the Duc de Rothsay in La Jolie Fille de Perth at the Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne.

Critically acclaimed for his stage presence and the quality of his acting, he has also frequently delved into the operetta repertoire, performing the roles of Brissac (Les Mousquetaires au Couvent) in Toulouse, the Viceroy of Peru (La Périchole) in Marseille and Nancy, and especially Danilo (La Veuve Joyeuse) in Montreal, Monte-Carlo, Quebec City, Bordeaux and Liege.

Moreover, he triumphed in his portrayals of Hamlet in Copenhagen, Geneva and Trieste, and of Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette) in Cincinnati, Orange, and Tokyo. He has also often sung the role of Valentin (Faust) in Turin, Madrid, Monte-Carlo, and Liege, as well as of Albert (Werther) in Toulouse, Bilbao and Brussels. But his trademark role is unquestionably Pelléas (Pelléas et Mélisande), which he has sung both in North America (in Toronto and Cincinnati, among other cities) and in Europe — for example, he was Yannis Kokkos’s Pelléas in Bordeaux and in Toulouse. It was to perform this role that he was recently invited to La Scala in Milan.

While Mr. Lapointe is particularly sought-after in French opera, he has certainly not neglected the Italian repertoire. He sang Figaro (The Barber of Seville) at the Opéra Comique, as well as Count Almaviva (The Marriage of Figaro) in Nancy and Don Giovanni in Trieste.

His other engagements include Pelléas et Mélisande (Pelléas) in Paris and in Liege, Les Troyens (Corebus) in Geneva, and Werther (Albert) in Brussels.

In addition to the lyric stage, Jean-François Lapointe regularly performs in concert, in the field of oratorio, as well as in recitals of art songs, where he is renowned for his renderings of Duparc, Fauré, and Poulenc.