Rihab Chaieb
About this Artist
The current and upcoming seasons mark significant milestones for Tunisian Canadian mezzo-soprano Rihab Chaieb, including her debut at Opernhaus Zürich as Charlotte in Werther, the title role in Carmen at Glyndebourne Festival and in concert excerpts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel, Claire in Melancholia with the Royal Swedish Opera, Dorabella in Così fan tutte at Seiji Ozawa Music Academy, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 under Yannick Nézet-Séguin with The Philadelphia Orchestra, a return to the Metropolitan Opera and the Bayerische Staatsoper, and appearances with Bregenzer Festspiele, Gran Teatre del Liceu, Opéra de Montréal, Festival San Sebastián, Canadian Opera Company, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Proms.
In the 2022/23 season, Rihab debuted at the Bayerische Staatsoper, wowing the audience as Fenena in Nabucco under Daniele Rustioni, and at the LA Opera as Cherubino in James Gray’s Le nozze di Figaro under James Conlon. She reprised her exceptional portrayal of Carmen at the Canadian Opera Company and Calgary Opera and returned to the Grand Théâtre de Genève starring in the world premiere of Christian Jost’s Voyage vers l’espoir as La mère Meryem.
On the concert platform, Chaieb appeared with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in Handel’s Messiah, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra under Otto Tausk for Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été, and debuted the role of Ruggiero in Handel’s Alcina with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra.
The 2021/22 season was marked by Chaieb’s debut at the Washington National Opera as Dorabella in Così fan tutte and at Palm Beach Opera as Carmen. She debuted the role of Penelope in Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria on tour and for a recording with Ensemble I Gemelli and returned to Opéra National de Montpellier as Maddalena in Rigoletto and to the Metropolitan Opera as Nefertiti in Phelim McDermott’s production of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten, under Karen Kamensek.
Recent successes include Chaieb’s debuts at Houston Grand Opera in the world premiere of Tarik O’Regan’s The Phoenix, as Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia at Cincinnati Opera and as Offenbach’s Fantasio at Opéra de Montpellier, Dorabella at Teatro Santiago de Chile, Kasturbai in Philip Glass’ Satyagraha at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, and Carmen in Lydia Steier’s production at Oper Köln.
Other performances include Charlotte in Werther at Opera Vlaanderen under Giedrė Šlekytė and Lola in Robert Carsen’s Cavalleria Rusticana under Lorenzo Viotti with the Dutch National Opera. On the concert stage, Rihab Chaieb has performed with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in a program of Rossini under Kent Nagano and Mahler’s Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen conducted by Johannes Debus. She performed Falla’s The Three-Cornered Hat with both the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Carlos Miguel Prieto.
Chaieb debuted Das Lied von der Erde at Toronto Summer Music and reprised it at the Rockport Music Festival. She recorded Bach’s Mass in B minor and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Orchestre Métropolitain under Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the latter released on Deutsche Grammophon’s DG Stage. She reprised Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
As a member of the the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Program, Chaieb appeared in numerous productions including Zulma in L’italiana in Algeri, Laura in Luisa Miller, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Sandmännchen in Hänsel und Gretel. Chaieb returned to the Met as a guest with Zerlina in Don Giovanni under Cornelius Meister.