Lydie Pace – Central Africa’s soprano supreme

Lydie Pace, France’s Central African origin soprano maestro is making headlines in some of the wold’s most prestigious opera houses. But, as Aissatou Diamanka-Besland writes, the road to musical glory has been long and hard.   

Before taking to the stage at Carnegie Hall in New York on 19 February 2026, Lydie Brigitte Lamine, better known as Lydie Pace, wept. Alone in her dressing room, the opera singer reflected on the years of hard work, the sacrifices she had made and the doors that had remained closed.

Moments later, she stepped out before the audience at one of the world’s great temples of classical music. “Behind me, I could see the entire journey I’d completed. I realised that we must never give up on our dreams or let others decide our worth,” she confides.

For this Frenchwoman of Central African origin, performing in New York represented far more than just another professional milestone. It was a personal triumph and also a symbol: that of a Black African woman who had beaten the odds and succeeded in carving out a place for herself in the highly regimented world of opera.

Her achievement tells the story of a dual triumph: that of a woman who became an opera singer despite family and professional constraints, and that of an African artist who refused to let her background limit her career.

In 1978, her family had been forced to leave the Central African Republic due to the repression under the regime of the self-styled ‘Emperor’ Jean–Bédel Bokassa (1966-79). They settled in Paris.

Music has been a part of Lydie Pace’s life since childhood. She loved singing, but did not immediately envisage making it her career. She initially pursued a scientific education before a conversation with her mother transformed her relationship with this passion. “My mother told me that if I didn’t take proper singing lessons, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. It’s thanks to her that I enrolled at the conservatoire,” she explains.

Already married and a mother, she then embarked on a demanding musical training programme. At several conservatoires (music academies for professional training), in Paris and the provinces, she honed her voice, perfected her technique and won several awards throughout her career.

Teachers and industry professionals encouraged her to continue along this path. What was initially intended to be a side pursuit gradually became her obvious calling.

She began her serious training in France and in 1993 graduated from the the Conservatoire National de Région de Rueil-Malmaison studying with the famous Elizabeth Vidal. She earned a higher diploma in vocal studies and won major young talent awards, including the Trophée Jeune Talent Lyrique, de l’Oise.

Blessed with a dramatic soprano voice, Lydie Pace specialises in roles demanding power, stamina and theatrical intensity. Her repertoire spans the works of Mozart, Bizet, Verdi and Wagner.

She says she feels a particular affinity for Verdi’s world especially the role of Aida, an Ethiopian woman torn between her love, her homeland and her condition as a prisoner. It is a role that demands as much vocal mastery as she does dramatic depth.

She has also featured as the lead in Carmen and Porgy and Bess among other memorable performances including at the Cathedral of Reims, at the International Musical Festival of the Grand Hôtel du Cap-Ferrat, at the Church of Saint-Germain-de-l’Auxerrois and Hôtel de la Monnaie of Paris, at the Alexandre Dumas Theatre of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, at the theatre of Paris Vincennes, and at the Palais des Congrès of Paris.

Early in her career, she received the Prix de Chant Lyrique awarded by André Guilbert (Director of the Conservatoire Hector-Berlioz). In 1995, she won the 2nd Prize of the International Competition of French Singing Masters

She was also awarded the Barthélémy Boganda Peace Prize, the Central African Prize for Excellence and was appointed a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Central African Republic, in recognition of her writing and performing the song Peace in Central Africa.

A well rounded person

As a mother of five children herself, Lydie Pace has had to balance family life, teaching and her artistic career. This lends a particular resonance to performances, forged far from the linear paths typically associated with great opera singers.

For Lydie Pace, control of the voice is never only a display of technique. It becomes a means of expressing the full complexity of human emotions: passion, suffering, courage, self-sacrifice, resistance.

“A woman is complex. She can be in love, a warrior, a queen or vulnerable. She fights her battles and experiences a wide range of emotions. It is this richness that I want to highlight”, says the soprano.

A Black woman of African descent performing the great roles of the classical European repertoire is so rare that it inevitably raises talking points.

Lydie Pace, however, refuses to be pigeonholed or presented as a curiosity. She embraces her African identity, but above all champions the right of artists from the continent to take part in all productions, without being confined to events or roles defined by their origins.

“We must not remain in ghettos. African singers must be able to perform anywhere, work with artists from all countries and be judged on their talent,” she insists.

Overcoming obstacles

Nevertheless, Black artists still face enormous hurdles in many European musical institutions. Singers who are fully trained and qualified struggle to gain access to major stages or end up giving up due to a lack of opportunities.

Lydie Pace has herself found that recognition oftren comes more from outrside than from French homeland, where she has lived for several years with her family.

Her concerts outside France have encountered curious and receptive audiences, largely unconcerned by her African origins. “You mustn’t hesitate to go and sing elsewhere. Some doors may remain closed at home, whilst they open abroad”, she observes.

She is however delighted to see a new generation of African opera singers emerging. Their growing presence in conservatoires, competitions and international productions suggests a shift is taking place, even if the road to true equality remains long.

Her performance in New York marked a turning point. Accompanied by a full  orchestra conducted by Giacomo Frati, Lydie Pace saw this concert as recognition of several decades of perseverance.

The presence of one of her daughters by her side gave the experience a more intimate dimension. The trip was a form of passing on a family legacy and proof that the sacrifices made had not been in vain.

“I was deeply moved. I knew my own worth, but this performance confirmed all the hard work I’ve put in,” she emphasises. This success also carries a message for young African artists: an opera career it is built by hard work over time.

It requires solid training, daily discipline and constant care for the voice. “This isn’t a career for just one season. The key is to endure, to protect your instrument and to preserve the beauty and freshness of your voice,” she asserts.

“I’m not competing with anyone, only with myself. No two voices are alike. That is precisely what makes this profession so beautiful. There’s room for everyone.”

This year, in addition to New York, Lydie Pace also performed in Austria in April, at the prestigious Pálffy Palace, as part of the Vienna Opera and Art Song Festival. Accompanied on the piano by Junghyun Lee, the soprano enthralled the Viennese audience by the power of her voice and her interpretation of the operatic repertoire.

On the fringes of the Cannes Film Festival, Lydie Pace took part in the ‘Friends of MJ (Michael Jackson)’ evening, organised at the Villa Oxygène as part of the ‘Adventure of Humanity’ and ‘Highway to Peace’ initiatives. The event was attended by Dieter Wiesner, Michael Jackson’s former manager, as well as Debbie Sledge, a member of the famous American group Sister Sledge.

For the occasion, the dramatic soprano was accompanied by pianist Jehiel Quimfumu. She was also joined by her two daughters: Alexia Pace, head of equality and diversity at INSEP, the French National Sports Institute, and Priscilia Pace, a journalist at Public Sénat.

Lydie Pace’s participation in this event is part of her ongoing artistic commitment to peace and bringing people together. A cause that echoes the very meaning of her stage name.

In 2014, when the Central African Republic was undergoing a serious political crisis, she organised a recital dedicated to peace. For the artist, music must be able to transcend social, religious and political boundaries in order to ease suffering and bring people

“Singing brings peace. In a world beset by so much turmoil, we need voices capable of soothing hearts”,

She hopes that the continent will provide greater support for opera singers, fund their training and assist them in their international development. For classical music can no longer be seen as a domain reserved for Europe. Africa has voices, conservatoires, musical traditions and a new generation of professionals capable of enriching the global repertoire.

Lydie Pace intends to continue her concert schedule whilst preparing new projects. Her ambition is no longer merely to sing, but also to pass on her knowledge and help raise the profile of African artists on major stages. “Never lose sight of your dreams. Don’t let anyone tell you what you’re not. Deep down, you know your own worth.”

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