Janine Micheau
Janine Micheau (17 April 1914 – 18 October 1976) was a French operatic soprano and one of the leading French singers of her time, known for lyric and coloratura roles. She was born in Toulouse and studied at the Conservatoire de Paris. She made her debut at the Opéra-Comique in 1933 as la Plieuse in Louise, and soon sang a variety of parts including Lakmé, Mireille, Cherubino, Olympia, Rosina, Leila and Micaëla.
By 1935 she was invited to Marseille, Amsterdam and San Francisco, and in Buenos Aires she sang Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier under Erich Kleiber. She created the role Creuse in Milhaud’s Medea for her Paris Opéra debut in 1940 and later appeared in Bolivar (1950). After the war her career became more international, with performances at La Scala, La Monnaie and the Royal Opera House, where she sang many French favorites such as Marguerite, Juliette, Manon and Mélisande. She also made radio recordings and concert appearances, especially in 18th‑century French music.
Micheau made numerous recordings, some later issued on CD. From 1961 she taught voice at the Paris Conservatoire and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Her last performance was as Pamina in Rouen in May 1968. She died in Paris in 1976, aged 62. In 1958 she recorded an LP conducted by Paul Bonneau, featuring a mix of songs.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:51 (CET).