First noticed by the baritone Robert Massard, Mary Saint-Palais obtained her Premier Prix from the Paris National Conservatoire. Honoured by the Fondation Oulmont, she subsequently studied at the opera studio of the Centre for Baroque Music in Versailles.
Invited to join Les Arts Florissants by William Christie, she performed and recorded roles of the classical repertoire: Hippolyte et Aricie, Les Amours de Ragonde, Jephté, Orfeo, Idomeneo.
Her encounter with the mezzo soprano Isabel Garcisanz led to performances on the European stage: Geneva, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Paris, Liège, Tours, Frankfurt. She excelled in the Mozartian roles of Papagena, First Lady, Ninetta, and Susanna, in the roles of Jano (Jenůfa) and Yniold (Pelléas et Mélisande), in The Nightingale or as Sister Constance in Dialogues de Carmélites.
Mary Saint-Palais is an outstanding contributor to the repertoire of French comic opera and operetta, having performed in notable productions for Jérôme Deschamps, such as Jacques Offenbach’s Les Brigands and La Vie Parisienne.
She is equally passionate about contemporary creations, and has worked with Daniel Kawka and Georges Aperghis. She has performed in Luciano Berio’s Un re in ascolto in Geneva and Frankfurt, and was asked by Olivier Py and Suzanne Giraud to create the role of Marthe for the world premiere of Le Vase de Parfums at the Théâtre de la Ville de Paris. Olivier Py invited her to work with him in the great adventure of his Oresteia at the French National Theatre.
Her discography includes: Les Troqueurs (Dauvergne, dir:Christie), Idomeneo, (Campra, dir: Christie), Lazare (Bruneau, dir : Mercier), Christophe Colomb (Milhaud, Orch de la Gubelkian).
Mary Saint-Palais’ second passion is teaching. She holds a C.A. (Certificat d’Aptitude) de Chant,
a title which permits her to train students at the highest level. She teaches at the National Conservatoire de Rueil-Malmaison (CRR) and additionally acts as a technical advisor to choirs and as a mentor to new teachers for the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris (CNSMDP).
