Véronique Gens
Born: 19th April 1966, Orléans, France
Nationality: French
Véronique Gens was born in Orléans in 1966 and trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, making her professional debut aged 20 with William Christie with whom she has continued to work closely throughout her career (she made her Royal Opera House debut in his production of King Arthur in 1995, and sings on his Gramophone Award-winning recording of the work which was issued that same year). Though Gens initially concentrated on soprano repertoire, she identifies as a falcon rather than a true soprano or mezzo, and has become particularly associated with the ‘in-between’ roles of French nineteenth-century opera through her work with Palazzetto Bru Zane (the Venice-based ‘Centre de musique romantique française’): her discography includes rarities such as Halévy’s La Reine de Chypre, Saint-Saëns’s Proserpine, Benjamin Godard’s Dante, and Félicien David’s Herculanum, and an acclaimed series of recordings exploring the development of French operatic heroines and entitled Tragédiennes on Erato. Néère, a recital of songs by Hahn, Duparc and Chausson with her regular partner Susan Manoff, won the solo vocal category at the 2016 Gramophone Awards.
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Special offer. Lully: Proserpine
Marie Lys (Proserpine), Ambroisine Bré (Arethusa), Jean-Sébastien Bou (Crinise), Véronique Gens (Ceres), Nick Pritchard (Mercury), Laurence Kilsby (Alphée); Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset
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Gramophone Magazine, July 2026, Editor's Choice
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Record Review, 27th June 2026, Record of the Week
3 CDs: $46.75Download from $12.25 -
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Poulenc: La Voix Humaine
Véronique Gens (soprano), Orchestre National de Lille, Alexandre Bloch
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Presto Recording of the Week, 13th January 2023
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Gramophone Magazine, February 2023
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Gramophone Awards, 2023 Finalists, Shortlisted - Opera
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2023
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Assorted Programs
CD: $20.75Download from $9.25 -
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Saint-Saëns: Proserpine
Véronique Gens (Proserpine), Marie-Adeline Henry (Angiola), Frédéric Antoun (Sabatino), Andrew Foster-Williams (Squarocca), Jean Teitgen (Renzo) Munchner Rundfunkorchester, Flemish Radio Choir, Ulf Schirmer
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International Classical Music Awards, 2018, Winner - Opera
2 CDs + Book: $47.75Download from $13.25 -
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Gounod: Cinq-Mars
Mathias Vidal (Le Marquis de Cinq-Mars), Véronique Gens (La Princesse Marie de Gonzague), Tassis Christoyannis (Le Conseiller de Thou), Andrew Foster-Williams (Le Père Joseph), André Heyboer (Le Vicomte de Fontrailles), Norma Nahoun (Marion Delorme), Marie Lenormand (Ninon de L’Enclos, Un Berger), Jacques-Greg Belobo (Le Roi, Le Chancelier), Andrew Lepri Meyer (De Montmort, L’Ambassadeur), Matthias Ettmayr (De Montrésor, Eustache) & Wolfgang Klose (De Brienne) Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks & Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Ulf Schirmer
2 CDs + Book: $47.75Download from $13.25