Christiane Eda-Pierre

Christiane Eda-Pierre (24 March 1932 – 6 September 2020) was a French coloratura soprano of Martinican origin, who sang in a wide variety of roles, from baroque to contemporary works. Eda-Pierre was born in Fort-de-France, Martinique, in a family of intellectuals. She is the daughter of journalist William Eda-Pierre and music teacher Alice Nardal, and the niece of Paulette Nardal. From a young age, she learnt piano from her mother. In September 1950, she left for Paris, studying at the École Normale de Musique de Paris for two years. After the lessons from Charles Panzéra, she switched from piano to singing. In 1954, she attended the Conservatoire de Paris, where she learnt singing from Louis Noguéra and diction from Gabrielle Fontan. She graduated with honours in 1957. The same year, she made her professional debut in Nice, as Leïla in Les pêcheurs de perles.