Biography

Solen Mainguené is a lyric soprano from Orange, south of France. Currently an ensemble member of the Leipzig Opera, she additionally appears on stages all over Europe in the lyrico-spinto repertoire. Particularly known for her emotional interpretations, rich voice, acting skills, and solar stage charisma, she loves to blur the line between straight acting and opera to create realistic and complex female protagonists. 

She started her vocal studies at the Conservatoire de Rennes, followed by a Bachelor on a merit scholarship at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, USA, and a Master in the Opernklasse of the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria. She finally perfected her education as a member of the Hamburg State Opera's Opera Studio. She attended masterclasses with Montserrat Caballé, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Cheryl Studer, Marilyn Horne, Barbara Bonney, Neil Shicoff, Grace Bumbry, Sophie Koch, Riri Grist, and Dame Ann Murray. Solen benefited from the guidance and mentoring of numerous conductors, but more specifically the Australian conductor Simone Young and the French conductor Michel Plasson. Solen currently studies with the American vocal pedagogue Neil Semer. 

Solen started her career on the stage of the Hamburg State Opera, where she was a resident artist. While at the State Opera, she performed over twenty roles, such as MICAELA in Carmen, MUSETTA in La Bohème, 1st LADY in Die Zauberflöte, POLOWETZER MAIDEN in Prince Igor, and FLOWER MAIDEN in Parsifal. Whilst in Hamburg, she covered numerous sopranos such as Ailyn Perez, Anita Hartig, and Nino Machaidze in roles such as LUISA MILLER, MARGUERITE in Faust, and MIMÍ in La Bohème. Solen guests regularly in theatres all over Europe, amongst those roles: VIOLETTA (Oper Halle, Oper Aachen), NEDDA (Danish National Opera, Opéra Grand Avignon, Theater Braunschweig, Opéra de Vichy...), ANTONIA (Badische Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Theater Freiburg, Theater Gelsenkirchen), LIÙ (Malmö Opera, Opéra de Massy), MUSETTA (Staatsoper Hannover, Theater Lübeck, Staatsoper Hamburg), MIMÌ (Theater Freiburg, Oper Leipzig), TATJANA (Theater Freiburg, Theater Winterthur), CONTESSA (Theater Koblenz), MANON (Theater Freiburg), MARSCHALLIN (Oper Leipzig), GOVERNESS (Theater Freiburg). Currently a member of the ensemble of the Leipzig Opera, she can be heard this season as MICAELA in Carmen, DESDEMONA in Otello under the baton of Ivan Repušić, LISA in Pique Dame in a new production by Lorenzo Fioroni, and she will renew her highly praised interpretation of MARSCHALLIN in Rosenkavalier with the Gewandhaus Orchestra. Additionally, she will make her role debut as ARABELLA with the Gießen Stadtstheater. Mrs. Mainguené is the recipient of numerous awards as the result of her vocal accomplishments. 

She is the 1st Prize Winner and received the prize for best female Italian repertoire interpretation at the Clermont-Ferrand International Competition. She was also a finalist of the Portofino International Competition and of the Avignon Grand Opera Competition. Additionally, she was a semi-finalist of the Montserrat Caballé Grand Prix, Belvedere Competition, Virginia Zeani Competition, Opera Crown Competition, and the Ferruccio Tagliavini Competition. Solen was nominated three times by the magazine Opernwelt, two times for "best female artist of the year" in 2019 for Governess in Turn of the Screw at Theater Freiburg and in 2021 as Manon in Manon at Theater Freiburg, as well as in 2015 as "young rising artist of the year" for her burning interpretation of Catherine Earnshaw in B. Herrmann at Theater Braunschweig. Her production of Turn of the Screw at Theater Freiburg was also nominated for best production of the year in 2019. A trained actress, Solen also enjoys crossing to straight plays, films, narration, operetta, and performance acting. In 2022, she was Marion Cotillard’s understudy as JEANNE D’ARC in Honegger’s “Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher” at the Teatro Real Madrid, a piece that she also collaborated on with Fanny Ardant at the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg in 2015. Other theatrical collaborations include the Thalia Theater Hamburg, the collective Hauen und Stechen, the collective Proxi, the Bundesjungendballett, and the Swiss actor Robert Hunger-Bühler. 

Solen speaks French, English, German, and Italian. Parallel to her solo career, Solen is a mentor at the Mentoring Arts Program of the Hochschule für Musik Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Leipzig, where she teaches and guides advanced conservatory students. She is occasionally also a French diction coach for singers from all over the world.