Sam Champagne is a Canadian tenor and artistic administrator with a voice described as having "...impeccable intonation, correct diction, expression and musicality", Ludwig Van Montreal. Mr. Champagne currently performs as one of three members of the group LYRICO and has held the position of Executive Director of the Orchestre philharmonique et choeur des mélomanes (OPCM) since 2019. His two parallel careers focus on his objective of making classical music accessible to mainstream audiences.

 

Formed in 2020, LYRICO is a trio that brings classically trained vocals to melodies from opera to pop. Following their successful debut performance at the Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des arts in 2021, the ensemble toured Quebec with their new show titled "The Best of Broadway" with stops in Quebec City, Gatineau, Sorel-Tracy and Montreal, which culminated with a debut at the Maison symphonique with a performance titled “An Enchanted Evening”. In December 2022, the ensemble went on tour to promote their new album entitled "Noël à l'opéra", including a show at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier of Place des arts in Montreal and Salle Louis-Fréchette of the Grand Théâtre de Québec.

 

As a soloist, Mr. Champagne “[allows us] to appreciate the depth of his voice”, Eklectik Media. In January 2023, he played the role of Parpignol in the OPCM's production of Puccini’s La bohème at the Maison symphonique. In 2019, he was the soloist for Dvorak's Mass in D major with the McGill University Choir and the Vanier College Choir under the direction of Dr Jean-Sébastien Vallée at the Church of St Andrew and St Paul. In 2020, he sang again with the McGill University Choir as a soloist for Goodall's Eternal Light: A Requiem at Pollack Hall.

 

In 2020, Mr. Champagne toured with GFN Productions performing Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers In Concert at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa and Salle Wilfrid Pelletier in Montreal. He performed as part of Sarah Brightman's HYMN tour at Montreal's Place Bell in 2019 and sang as part of Andrea Bocelli's concert tour at Montreal's Bell Center in front of an audience of 18,000 people in 2018. That same year, Mr. Champagne sang in the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience at the Bell Center in Montreal.

 

Mr. Champagne has also been Executive Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique et Chœur des Mélomanes (OPCM) since 2019. The OPCM is a non-profit organization founded in Montreal in 2016, dedicated to inspiring a new generation of music lovers. The OPCM presents three concerts per season at the Maison Symphonique of Place des arts.

 

Originally from Ottawa, Mr. Champagne received a B.Mus. from McGill University in vocal performance, studying with tenor John Mac Master, and minoring in musical entrepreneurship between 2017-2021. Mr. Champagne is the recipient of the Wayne Riddell Choral Award, the Leonne O'Hashi Bursary and the Seymour Schulich Scholarship.