Biography

Grand Prize of the International French Melodies Competition in Toulouse, laureate of the International French Melodies Competition in Gordes – Les Saisons de la Voix, and also supported by foundations such as the Oxford Lieder Mastercourse, the Georg Solti Academia, and the Royaumont Foundation, pianist Juliette Sabbah is dedicated to vocal accompaniment and vocal coaching.

From a very young age, her thirst for travel and curiosity led her to the United States and then to England. This gave her training at the crossroads of three major musical traditions: American, French, and English, under Adrienne Kim, Laurent Cabasso, James Baillieu, and Malcolm Martineau. Subsequently, her encounters with Susan Manoff and Irene Kudela were pivotal for her approach to the lied and melody repertoire, as well as vocal coaching: these experiences led her to carve a unique path, balancing the two disciplines that fascinate her.

A highly sought-after vocal coach, she now works for numerous opera houses and companies in France and across Europe; her most recent productions include Ariadne auf Naxos (Opéra de Montpellier, dir. Christian Arming), L'Elisir d'Amore (Lab'Opéra Oise, dir. Alexandra Cravero), as well as La Belle et la Bête by Philip Glass (Orchestre Régional de Normandie, dir. Jean Deroyer) and Red Waters (Opéra de Rennes, dir. Nicolas Agullo). Last season, she was notably invited by the Opéra Royal de Wallonie (La Vie Parisienne, dir. Romain Dumas), the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Gianni Schicchi, dir. Domingo Hindoyan), and the Opéra Grand Avignon (Samson et Dalila, dir. Nicolas Krüger).

Juliette regularly collaborates with major vocal art competitions such as Voix Nouvelles, Paris Opera Competition, Les Saisons de la Voix – International French Melodies Competition in Gordes, and the Georges Enesco Competition. Passionate about vocal work in both opera and melodies/lieder, and a lover of words and poetry, she is also an enthusiastic German speaker and is involved as a teacher with several generations of singers, in private, in masterclasses, and at the Philharmonie de Paris.

A sought-after chamber music partner for singers, she maintains several duos with whom she passionately defends the lieder and melodies repertoire. She regularly performs in recitals in Paris (Musée d’Orsay, Salle Wagram, Espace Bernanos, Petit Palais), across the country (Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne, Festival des Nuits Lyriques de Marmande, Abbaye de Saint Riquier, Opéra de Limoges, Musiques au Pays de Pierre Loti...), and internationally. Her first album of French melodies, Paris Vagabond, recorded with tenor Fabien Hyon, was released in April 2021 on the Passavant label. Critics praised her "sensitive playing" (Wanderer) and "subtle sonorities" (Classica).

This season, she will be heard in recitals at the Opéra de Lille, the Capitole de Toulouse, the Opéra de Nice, and the Opéra Grand Avignon with singers Sheva Tehoval, Fabien Hyon, and Florine God. She is also invited to various festivals and programs in Germany, Belgium, Salle Cortot in Paris, and across France. Additionally, she is embarking on a collaboration with the operas of Nice, Toulon, Marseille, and Avignon for the creation of Regis Campo's new opera, The Little Mermaid.

A committed artist, conscious of the challenges facing the opera world and society, she works closely with solidarity and participatory organizations. Determined to share the lyrical repertoire with audiences who have limited access to it, she collaborates with the Lab’Operas in Oise and Dordogne, as well as with CALMS in various Parisian neighborhoods. Since 2016, she has worked with the Musique Opéra Santé association, organizing numerous concerts in nursing homes throughout France for audiences with Alzheimer’s and autism. Outside of music, she has volunteered with the Rebuilding Together association in Louisiana, worked with young children in the slums of Cape Town, South Africa, and partnered with Paris d’Exil to house unaccompanied minors in Paris.