Training & roles
French soprano Clothilde Bénard was born in Reims, where she began her musical training at the Conservatoire, performing in Suor Angelica by Puccini and Dido and Aeneas by Purcell at the Opéra de Reims. She later joined the Advanced Young Singers Department of the Paris Conservatoire, where she portrayed the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Carline in Auber’s La Débutante at Salle Gaveau. She is currently completing her studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the studio of Cécile Achille.
International path
Selected for an exchange program at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, Clothilde experienced a pivotal moment that shaped her artistic identity and opened her career to the international stage. This period was followed by her participation in the Chautauqua Opera Conservatory under the mentorship of Denyce Graves and Jonathan Beyer. She continues to develop her career in the United States and was selected to appear at the Aspen Music Festival & School as the First Lady in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte , a defining experience in her artistic growth and international trajectory.
Fées des Champs Festival & nonprofit mission
Clothilde is the founder and director of the Fée des Champs Festival in Courcelles-Sapicourt, France, an initiative dedicated to bringing opera to rural communities. Through its nonprofit foundation, she actively supports emerging opera artists by offering performance opportunities as well as concrete assistance in developing professional materials — photography, video, and promotional tools — essential for launching an artistic career.
Opera For Peace Journey
An artist of the Opera for Peace Academy, Clothilde works with leading international mentors, including Renée Fleming and Denyce Graves, as part of the Opera for Peace US Academy in Washington, D.C. This experience represents a significant step in her artistic growth and her integration into the international opera landscape.
Awards, prizes & support
A recipient of the Grand Prix Révélation at the Concours d’Avignon and a Top Prize at Opera Index in New York, Clothilde Bénard is praised for her magnetic presence and authentic, luminous voice. Supported by the Safran Foundation for Music, she receives valuable guidance to develop her career internationally and pursue artistic opportunities abroad.