J’ai deux amours!
After graduating with a Masters in French Language and Literature at the University Paris 7 Denis Diderot, I furthered my studies as a classical soprano and graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
I’ve benefited from the rich mentoring of Prof. Chris Underwood*, keeping a vital and direct link to the poets and composers of the late French 19th Century.
Through my musical training I’ve been fortunate to work with specialists of the French Mélodie Repertoire (Helen Abbott, Roy Howat in the UK). As a singer, I participated in masterclasses with Véronique Gens, Michel Piquemal, François Leroux and Michelle Command.
I enjoy coaching singers, which combines my passion for the voice as well as for poetry and text. I also have experience working with actors needing to perfect a French accent for a role or voice-over.
As a personal voice coach, I work with singers by taking into account their unique individuality and responding to their specific needs. We work together to determine the best approach for making a French text their own.
*Chris Underwood had been a student of Betty Bannerman, who had followed Claire Croiza’s classes, and later on with Pierre Bernac, Camille Maurane and Hugues Cuenod.
Work in Education
French coach for the Royal conservatoire of Scotland, I also teach lyrical diction of French, and French language for singers.
Monthly French Repertoire workshops at the Royal Northern Conservatoire of Music in Manchester.
Regularly invited to work with the Opera School students of the Guildhall School of Music.
I’ve also deputised for Sonja Nerdrum’s French class at the Royal College of Music.
Invited coach for Mascarade Opera Studio
OPERA AND CHOIR
RSNO L’enfant et les sortilèges, 2026 - Thomas Søndergård
SCO L’enfance du Christ, 2025 - Gregory Batsleer chorus master - Maxi Emelyanychev
Longborough Opera Festival Pelléas et Mélisande, 2025 - Anthony Negus
Garsington Opera Festival Platée, 2024 - Paul Agnew
Scottish Opera French Collection, 2023 - Stuart Stratford / L’heure espagnole, 2025 - Alexandra Cravero
Grange Park Opera Werther, 2023 - Christopher Hopkins
Gibson Opera School Le dialogue des Carmélites, 2020 Philippe Forget / L’étoile 2023 - Philippe Forget / Cendrillon, 2024 Nicholas Kok
Operalogue, July 2025, for Longborough Festival’s Pelléas et Mélisande. Conducted by Anthony Negus and directed by Jennie Ogilvie.
REVIEWS
“[The singers] mastered the nuances of their French lines: the language coaches Héloïse Bernard and Sonja Nerdrum deserve special mention".
Opera, April 2019, Andrew Clark
Opera, April 2023