ABOUT

“As the Princess, Julie Bélanger Roy created a character that seethes with power, both vocally and dramatically, and with a mixture of anger and icy reproachfulness, masterfully tinged with just a hint of pity for her niece.” - Arts Knoxville

“With an incredible range of vocals, Roy is also a highly-skilled violinist and violist” –Metalholic

“[...] the wide ranging but always in control Roy illustrates a real sense of drama and poise" – Sea of Tranquility

French Canadian contralto Julie Bélanger Roy started her musical studies early as a violinist and a violist. While studying viola at the Conservatory of Music in Montreal, Canada, she started taking voice lessons with the respected mezzo-soprano Gabriele Lavigne.

After completion of a Master’s degree in viola performance under the tutelage of distinguished violist Hillary Herndon, Ms. Bélanger Roy, then a successful violist, started her Master’s degree in vocal performance. At the University of Tennessee, USA, she studied voice with soprano Marjorie Stephens, soprano Cecily Nall, and mezzo-soprano Lorraine DiSimone. In 2024, she was invited to study with tenor Lim Jae-Chul in Gwangju, Jeolla-do, South Korea.

Ms. Bélanger Roy’s last opera performances include the role of La Zia Principessa in Marble City Opera production of Suor Angelica, Tituba in the University of Tennessee production of The Crucible, Suor Zelatrice in the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre production of Suor Angelica, the role of Dame Quickly in the Bay View Music Festival production of Verdi's Falstaff in Michigan as well as Bianca in the University of Tennessee production of Britten’s The Rape of Lucretia.

Her last orchestra performances on the viola and violin include engagements with Symphony of the Mountains, Oak Ridge Symphony Orchestra, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and Amadeus Concert Ensemble. In addition to her classical career, the Canadian contralto & string player is also the front women of symphonic metal ensemble Gone in April, with whom she has performed in Asia and across North America. She works as a session musician for national and international artists at WaveTransform Studio, is featured as a guest musician on various albums (Vivaldi Metal Project, Beyond Fiction, Pagliacci, Across April Skies, etc.) and is occasionally invited to play with the Swiss Folk Metal ensemble Eluveitie on their North American Tours.

Julie endorses Realist Violin by David Gage