The French-Swiss soprano Bénédicte Tauran performs internationally in both opera and concert repertoire. Her clear, expressive voice and stylistic versatility have made her a sought-after interpreter in the Baroque, Classical, and contemporary genres. Raised in Limoges, she received her early musical education at the local conservatory in recorder and voice, before continuing her studies at the prestigious Schola Cantorum in Basel and the Conservatory of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
Her artistic journey has taken her to many major opera houses and festivals throughout Europe. Her recent engagements include Venus in Lully’s Psyché at Theater an der Wien, Bozar in Brussels, and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Servilia in La clemenza di Tito in Linz; Pamina in Die Zauberflöte in Freiburg; Serpina in La serva padrona at the Utrecht Early Music Festival; and the title role in Lully’s Isis at the Festival de Beaune, Théâtre Royal de Versailles, and Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. In the 2025 season, she will appear as La Madre in Dallapiccola’s Il prigionieroat Theater Luzern.
On the concert stage, she has performed works such as Haydn’s The Creation at Victoria Hall in Geneva and Purcell’s King Arthur at the Opéra Royal de Versailles. Previous highlights include roles such as Armida in Rinaldo, Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro, and Clairette in La Fille de Madame Angot in Lausanne; Wanda in La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein; and Queen Elizabeth in the world premiere of Richard III by Battistelli at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. Other significant roles include Mira in La Lettre des Sables in Bordeaux, Léna in La princesse jaune by Saint-Saëns, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Jacqueline in Fortunio by Messager, Tisbe in Hasse’s Piramo e Tisbe at the Potsdam Festival, and Albina in Rossini’s La donna del lago at Theater an der Wien.
From 2014 to 2018, Bénédicte Tauran was a permanent ensemble member at Kassel Opera, where she took on leading soprano roles including Gilda (Rigoletto), Konstanze (Die Entführung aus dem Serail), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette), Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia), Cinna (Lucio Silla), and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte). She also appeared in contemporary works, such as Berio’s Un re in ascolto as Soprano 2.
Throughout her career, she has worked with internationally acclaimed conductors such as Christophe Rousset, Marek Janowski, and Bertrand de Billy, as well as with leading stage directors like Laurent Pelly, Robert Carsen, Achim Freyer, and Christof Loy. She has won numerous competitions and received support from prestigious foundations, including the Mozart Prize in Geneva, the Salzburg Mozart Competition, and first prize at the Marcello Viotti Competition in Lausanne. She has also been supported by the Ernst Göhner Foundation and the Colette Mosetti Foundation.