Natalie Dessay – born Nathalie Dessaix on April 19, 1965 in Lyon, France – is a
singer and actress best known for her earlier career as a coloratura soprano .
As a young girl, she was interested in dance and theater and enrolled at the
Conservatoire de Bordeaux. Her vocal talent was discovered and she was
encouraged to take singing lessons. Graduating with first prize, she then joined
the choir at Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. After changing her name to Natalie
Dessay, she won first prize in 1988 in the Voix Nouvelles competition and the
Mozart Competition of the Vienna Opera,...