“Perfect diction, ideal phrasing, flawlessly controlled high notes, and total emotional commitment.” 

ConcertClassic – Leïla, Les Pêcheurs de Perles – Festival d’Aix en Provence.

Celebrated for the beauty of her voice and the depth of her artistry,  French soprano Elsa Benoit has established herself as a captivating force in both opera and concert repertoire, with a particular affinity to Baroque and French repertoire.

Benoit’s 2025/26 season features distinguished engagements across Europe: taking on the title roles in Handel’s Semele at the Dutch National Opera and Rameau’s Scylla et Glaucus at Zurich Opera House, both staged by Claus Guth and under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm.

Benoit will perform Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 under Paavo Järvi with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 at the Opéra National de Lyon under Jader Bignamini and with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Robin Ticciati. Together with the Singakademie Zurich, she will tour Helsinki, Bern, and Zurich with Haydn’s The Seasons. At the Vienna Konzerthaus, she will perform Poulenc’s Stabat Mater under Marie Jacquot.

Highlights of pasts seasons include Leïla (Les Pêcheurs de Perles), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier), performing at at Opéra Comique and Palais Garnier in Paris, at opera houses in Cologne, Berlin (Komische Oper), Dresden (Semperoper), Munich (Bayerische Staatsoper) and beeing featured at major festivals such as Glyndebourne, Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence.

Elsa’s discography includes a wide range of CDs and DVDs. Among them Poppea in Handel’s Agrippina, which was recorded for Warner Classics and received a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording nomination, Les Indes Galantes at Bayerische Staatsoper for BelAir Classiques, Hippolyte et Aricie at Opéra Comique for Naxos and Poulenc’s Gloria with the Dresden Philharmonic for Berlin Classics.

As an internationally acclaimed concert soloist, Benoit has collaborated with leading orchestras such as the Berlin, Vienna, and Munich Philharmonics, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Oslo Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Stuttgart Bach Academy, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. She has worked with distinguished conductors including Robin Ticciati, Alan Gilbert, Emmanuelle Haïm, Andris Nelsons, Herbert Blomstedt, Jonathan Nott, Vladimir Jurowski, and Klaus Mäkelä.

After completing a Master with distinction at the Dutch National Opera Academy, she joined the Bayerische Staatsoper’s Opera Studio. Her first permanent engagement was at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt in 2015/16, where she performed roles such as Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Giulietta (I Capuleti e I Montecchi), and Micaëla (Carmen), the latter earning her the Austrian Music Theatre Prize. She then joined the ensemble of Munich’s Bavarian State Opera, excelling in roles including Oscar (Un ballo in maschera), Musetta (La Bohème), Gretel (Hänsel und Gretel) and Adina (L’Elisir d’Amore).

Agenda

Press

Les Pêcheurs de Perles, Festival d’Aix en Provence

“Elsa Benoit en Leïla s’inscrit dans la tradition du style français notamment dans les vocalises. Virtuosité, pureté du timbre, nuances soignées permettant d’offrir une palette vocale aussi détaillée que raffinée.” Olyrix

“As Leïla, Elsa Benoit embodies the French style tradition, particularly in her vocalises. With virtuosity, a pure timbre, and finely shaded nuances, she offers a vocal palette that is both refined and richly detailed.” Olyrix

“Elsa Benoit livre une interprétation tout en souplesse et émotion, assurant une musicalité sans faille, ainsi que de solides qualités techniques.” Bachtrack

“Elsa Benoit offers a performance of remarkable fluidity and emotion, underpinned by unfailing musicality and impressive technical skill.” Bachtrack

Die Zauberflöte, Opéra de Nantes

“La superbe Pamina d’Elsa Benoit : timbre coloré et lumineux, musicalité évidente, autorité scénique.” Diapason Magazine

“Elsa Benoit’s superb Pamina: a colorful and luminous timbre, evident musicality, and strong stage authority.” Diapason Magazine

Semele, Opéra de Lille

“La merveilleuse Sémélé d’Elsa Benoit, au soprano frais et délicat.” Télérama

“Elsa Benoit’s enchanting Semele, graced with a fresh, delicate, and radiant soprano.” Télérama

“Le triomphe d’Elsa Benoit
La soprano Elsa Benoit se mesure en triomphatrice au rôle-titre dont elle possède les atouts physiques, dramatiques et vocaux. La plénitude du timbre, l’agilité et l’engagement scéniques sont irréprochables.” La Croix

“Elsa Benoit’s triumph
Soprano Elsa Benoit shines gloriously in the title role, embodying its physical, dramatic, and vocal demands with grace and power. Her full-bodied timbre, dazzling agility, and passionate stage presence are nothing short of flawless.” La Croix

“A reverent tribute to Elsa Benoit: her soprano is rich and rounded, gracefully sustaining every virtuosic flourish.” Diapason Magazine

Les Mamelles de Tirésias, Glyndebourne Opera Festival

“Elsa Benoit makes for an explosive Thérèse. Elegant, her voice soars over the orchestra” London Unattached

The Rake’s Progress, Opéra de Rennes

“Superbement interprétée par Elsa Benoit, soprano tout en fraîcheur et velours.” Diapason

Alcina, Opéra de Paris

“Elsa Benoit est très remarquée ce soir, pour sa voix et son investissement scénique cohérent. Plaisir de ses vocalises sensuelles et de son jeu actif, agilité aérienne, mais avec des phrasés sûrs dans leur conduite.”

“Elsa Benoit stands out this evening for both her voice and her cohesive stage presence. There is real pleasure in her sensual vocalises and engaged acting — aerial agility paired with confidently shaped phrasing.” Olyrix

Carmen, Capitole de Toulouse

“La Micaëla d’Elsa Benoit: la grâce, l’élégance, la noblesse de la voix. Un velours au service d’une prononciation qui conférait à Micaëla une dignité rarement vue.” Forum Opéra

“Elsa Benoit shines with grace, elegance, and vocal nobility. Her velvety tone, combined with clear pronunciation, gave Micaëla a dignity rarely seen.” Forum Opéra

Agrippina, Bayerische Staatsoper

“Elsa Benoit impressed with her fresh, bright lyric soprano, effortlessly delivered and endowed with a wonderful legato.” Das Opernglas

Un ballo in maschera, Bayerische Staatsoper

“An Oscar for the Oscar — an astonishing debut by a fantastic young singer. A well-rounded interpretation, especially impressive for a role debut. Respect!” Abendzeitung

Les Indes Galantes (DVD BelAir Classiques), Bayerische Staatsoper

“Benoit saisit aux tripes par son timbre charnu”
Avant scène Opéra

Hänsel und Gretel, Bayerische Staatsoper

“Elsa Benoit sang ihre Partie souverän mit ihrem eher dunkel gefärbten Sopran.”
Online Merker

Marta, W. Mitterer, Opéra de Lille

“Éblouissante dans le rôle titre”
ResMusica

“La brillante Elsa Benoit”
Altamusica

Le Comte Ory, Bayerische Staatsoper

“Elsa Benoit takes pleasure in the coloratura of an absolutely secure soprano voice, which is supported in all registers of great full timbre and substance. Her voice is a feast for the ears.”
Klassik Info

“Brilliant protagonist is Elsa Benoit as the Countess. Each note she sings is full of expression. She produces an astonishing coloratura with enchanting nonchalance”
Sueddeutsch Zeitung

“Elsa Benoit shines as Adèle with her flawless highest notes.”
BR Klassik

“Elsa Benoit as Comtesse can do everything: her vocal range, the sparkling coloratura and her artistic credibility made her the winner of the night.”
MittelBayerische