Biography
French-Canadian baritone William Desbiens was born in Quebec in 1997 and received his artistic training in the United States and Italy.In the 2023/24 season, he performed the role of Figaro in the opera ‘Il barbiere di Siviglia’ by Gioacchino Rossini at the Heidelberg Theatre and the Landestheater Linz. In Heidelberg, he also played the roles of Pantalone and Farfarello from the opera ‘The Love for Three Oranges’ by Sergei Prokofiev.
From 2021, he was a scholarship holder of the Mascarade Emerging Artists Programme (MEA) and became a member of the International Opera Studio of the Hamburg State Opera at the beginning of the 2024 season, where he can be seen in a total of eight different roles this season. He also appeared as a guest in a gala concert of the Georg Solti Academy at the Budapest State Opera.
William Desbiens already appeared on the stage of the Teatro la Fenice in Venice during his time with MEA. Among other roles, he played the Conte di Almaviva in ‘Le nozze di Figaro’, Dandini in ‘La Cenerentola’ and Silvio in ‘I Pagliacci’ on various other stages. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree at the Mannes School of Music in New York under Arthur Levy and worked intensively in master classes with baritone Sherrill Milnes.
In September 2022, he was a finalist in the Vincerò World Singing Competition in Naples, Italy, and in January of the same year, he was also a finalist in the Paris Opera Competition (Ciopera) at the Palais Garnier. In 2021, he also received the Director's Award from the James Toland Vocal Arts Competition in the USA.
Artist Website
williamdesbiens.caManagement
General ManagementArtist Manager
Boris Orlob
Managing Director
boris@orlob.net
Mobil: +49-172-8 51 55 14
Repertoire
Repertoire Konzert, Festival, Oratorio
| Bach, J.S. | Weihnachtsoratorium |
| Les Rapsodes | Fantasia on Christmas Carols Vaughan William's |
| Venice, (Italy) | Gala Giovani Voci alla Fenice |
| Opéra de Québec | Festival Opéra de Québec |
| Mannes 20th Anniversary Festival Finale Concert | Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall |
| Mannes Orchestra | (Un)Silent Film Night |
| Opéra de Québec | La Brigade Lyrique |
| Mannes Sounds | The Prophet for baritone |
Repertoire Oper
| Rossini | Il Barbieri di Siviglia | Figaro, Fiorello |
| Menotti | Le téléphone de Menotti | Ben |
| Prokofjew | L'Amour des trois oranges | Pantalone, Farfarello |
| Gounod | Faust | Wagner |
| William Walton | The bear | Grigory Stepanovich Smirnov |
| Giordano | Fedora | Nicola |
| Puccini | La Boheme | Schaunard, Alcindoro |
| Contemporary Music | The Art of change | |
| Poulenc | Dialogues of the Carmelites | Marquis de La Force |
| Verdi | La Traviata | Marchese d´Obigny |
| W. A. Mozart | Die Zauberflöte | 1. Priester, Papageno |
| Stravinsky | The Rake´s Progress | The Keeper of the Madhouse |
| Rossini | La Cenerentola | Dandini |
| W. A. Mozart | Le nozze di Figaro | Il Conte di Almaviva |
| Gounod | Roméo et Juliette | Mercutio |
| Leoncavallo | I Pagliacci | Silvio |
News
Rising Star: William Desbiens at the Hungarian State Opera
On 19 October 2025, William Desbiens will perform at the ‘Solti Gala with Rising Stars’ at the Hungarian State Opera House, one of the highlights of the season organised by the Georg Solti Academia. Under the baton of Sámuel Csaba Tóth, William Desbiens will sing the following arias, including ‘Largo al factotum’ and ‘Dunque io son’ from Il barbiere di Siviglia and ‘Avant de quitter ces lieux’ from Gounod’s Faust among others.
Further Information:
www.opera.hu
Further Information:
www.opera.hu
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