Rihab Chaieb
About this Artist
Tunisian Canadian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb has drawn international recognition for her clear, sensuous vocal tone and her dramatic flair. With a versatile instrument that allows her to shine in repertoire from Monteverdi, Handel, and Mozart through Bizet, Verdi, and Glass, Chaieb is a prominent new talent on the world’s major stages.
In the 2022/23 season, Chaieb made both notable debuts and anticipated returns: she brought her acclaimed interpretation of Carmen to the Canadian Opera Company and Calgary Opera and made her LA Opera debut as Cherubino in James Gray’s new production of Le nozze di Figaro, conducted by James Conlon. At Grand Théâtre de Genève she appeared as La mère Meryem in the world premiere of Christian Jost’s Voyage vers l’espoir and made her Bayerische Staatsoper debut as Fenena in Verdi’s Nabucco, conducted by Daniele Rustioni.
A regular performer on the concert platform, Rihab Chaieb joined Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Richard Egarr in Handel’s Messiah, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Otto Tausk for Berlioz’ Les nuits d’été, and, with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra she performed her first Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina. In recital, she performed alongside pianist Brian Zeger at the Kennedy Center, presented by Vocal Arts DC, and joined pianist Valeria Polunina for a first performance in Tallinn, Estonia.
On the concert stage, Rihab Chaieb has performed with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under Johannes Debus in Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen and in a program of Rossini under Kent Nagano; and with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah and under Music Director Gustavo Gimeno in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. She recorded Bach’s Mass in B minor and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for two audiovisual recordings with Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain under Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the latter released on Deutsche Grammophon’s online platform DG Stage. In 2022, she reprised Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
The recipient of many major grants, Chaieb is also a seasoned competitor, taking Third Prize at the 2018 Operalia Competition, winning the 2016 Gerda Lissner International Vocal Competition, and taking prizes at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and the 2018 George and Nora London Foundation Competition.