Léopold Simoneau was born May 3, 1918 at Saint-Flavien, near Québec on the southshore of the Saint-Laurent River in the County of Lotbinière. He is the son of Joseph Simoneau and Olivine Boucher. He married Pierrette Alarie June 1st, 1946 at Montréal in Sacré-Coeur Church.
He sang in the choir of St. Patrick's Church in Montréal and studied first with Salvator Issaurel and Emile la Rochelle. He made his début at 17 in a student performance of Offenbach's La chanson de Fortunio. In 1943 he sang in a Montréal concert conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, for whom he later undertook the role of Belmonte in Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Soon afterwards he made his debut with "Les Variétés Lyriques" as Wilhelm Meister in Mignon. In 1945 he went to New York and continued his training with the distinguished Wagnerian tenor Paul Althouse, whose illustrious pupils included Eleanor Steber, Irene Dalis and Richard Tucker.
After Paris débuts in 1949 as Vincent in Gounod's Mireille at the Opéra-Comique, and as Tamino in Mozart's Die Zauberflöte at the Opéra, The French-Canadian emerged in the 1950s as the leading international tenor for Mozart and Gluck (though the elegiac tones of Anton Dermota ruled supreme in Vienna during these years). He made his début at Aix-en-Provence as Pylades in a performance of Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini. In 1951 he sang Idamante in 25 (!) performances of Idomeneo conducted by Fritz Busch and John Pritchard at the Glyndebourne Festival (and then on record).
After two years of studies advanced in New York, the career of Léopold Simoneau took an international dimension in 1949 with the Opera of Paris, then in Scala of Milan, the Opera of Vienna, Teatro Colon of Buenos Aires. It took part in several seasons of opera in Chicago where it held the role of Alfredo in Traviata at the sides of Maria Callas. It entered in Metropolitan Opera of New York in 1963.
He also performed Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for these conductors. In 1952 there were 28 performances of Idomeneo, all conducted by Pritchard, and in 1954 nine performances of Don Giovanni under Georg Solti. In 1956 he sang Ottavio at the Salzburg Festival (under Dimitri Mitropoulos) and Tamino under George Szell - a dazzling performance.
Apart from Idamante he sang four great Mozart roles on complete recordings: Belmonte in Die Entführung for Sir Thomas Beecham (1956), Tamino in the Die Zauberflöte for Karl Böhm (1955), Fernando in Cosi fan tutte for Herbert von Karajan (1954), and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni for Rudolf Moralt (1955) - all of which were highly acclaimed impersonations. It seems almost that this reading of Nadir in Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles is even more highly rated, as in the recording of Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice conducted by Hans Rosbaud, on which he truly sings like Orpheus.
International criticism then recognized him as the most remarkable interpreter works of Mozart. He will have sung not less than 180 times the role of Ottavio in Don Giovanni. He was the guest of the most prestigious orchestras of Europe and America and carried out a number of rounds of recitals with his wife Pierrette Alarie. He finished his lyric career in 1970 by the Messiah of Händel with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
Thereafter, Léopold Simoneau was dedicated to the teaching of the lyric art during more than twenty years, initially in Montréal, then with the Academy of San Francisco in 1971. He is the author of the report on the situation of the opera in Québec, which brought the creation of the Opera of Québec in 1971.
Léopold Simoneau belongs to the Canadian singers most prestigious of its time. Thanks to a very significant discography, the future generations will be able to know the refined art of this exceptional singer. In 1961, the Great Prize of the disc was awarded to Mr. Simoneau and to Mrs. Alarie for their recording of airs and duets of Mozart.
Léopold Simoneau was named Officier of the Command of Canada in 1967, then Compagnon in 1995. It was also named Chevalier of the National Order of Québec in 1997. He is also Order Officer of arts and the letters of France.
Pierrette Alarie was born in Montréal on November 9, 1921, daughter of Sylva Alarie and of Amanda Plante (Plouffle Mom in the Plouffe Family, television serie of Roger Lemelin). She made her beginnings at the scene as actress. Issued from a musician family, she was directed in a lyric career. Since 1938, she entered to "Les Variétés Lyriques" where she played in L'auberge du cheval blanc and interpreted the first roles in Mireille, la Fille du régiment, le Barbier de Séville, la Traviata.
In 1940, she attended the studio of lyric art of Salvator Issaurel, where she met the tenor Léopold Simoneau which she will marry on June 1st, 1946 in Montréal at Sacré-Coeur church. After two years of studies in Curtis Institute of Philadelphia, she was prize winner of Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air and, always in Metropolitan Opera of New York, she held, in 1945, the role of Oscar in Bal masqué of Verdi under the direction of the famous orchestra conductor Bruno Walter.
The title role of Lakmé marked her début in the Opéra Comique of Paris in 1949. During nearly ten years, the Alarie-Simoneau couple was illustrated on the prestigious European lyric scenes in the great festivals and many recordings, of which one composed of airs and duets of Mozart obtained the Great Price of the disc of the Academy Charles-Cros in 1961.
In spite of her intense European activity, Pierrette Alarie gave each year some recitals and took part in broadcasts television in Radio-Canada; of which memorable production la Voix humaine of Poulenc, which was worth many honorary mentions to her. Returned to America, one invited her as soloist with the symphonic concerts given to the operas of San Francisco, Philadelphia and News-Orleans. In 1970, with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, she ended its brilliant lyric career with le Messie of Händel. She devoted then a few years to scenic teaching with the Academy of San Francisco and founded, with her husband, the Piccola Opera in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Adulated by the national and international press, Mrs. Alarie was appointed Officier of the Order of Canada in 1967 and was promoted Compagnon in 1995. She was also named Chevalier of the National Order of Québec in 1997. She is also Order Officer of arts and the letters of France.