Education
Born Lillie Millot, she studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Thomas Salignac, and sang in music-hall and took part in the Lyon premiere of Le Tzaréwitch (Sonia) in 1929.
Born Lillie Millot, she studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Thomas Salignac, and sang in music-hall and took part in the Lyon premiere of Le Tzaréwitch (Sonia) in 1929.
She made her debut at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 15 December 1932 in Le pré aux clercs (Marguerite de Valois). With the company she went on to sing (Isabelle) in the same opera, the title role in Manon, Mignon (Philine), the title roles in Mireille, Phryné and Louise, Carmen (Micaela), Louisiana Traviata (Violetta), Le Barbier de Séville (Rosine), les Pêcheurs de perles (Léïla), Les contes d"Hoffmann (Olympia, Giulietta, Antonia), Madame Butterfly (Butterfly), Louisiana Basoche (Marie d"Angleterre), Fragonard (la Guimard), Fortunio (Jacqueline), Angélique (Angélique), la Rôtisserie de la Reine Pédauque (Catherine), Le Roi d’Ys (Rozenn), Louisiana Bohème (Mimi, Musette), Mesdames de la Halle (Ciboulette), Ciboulette (Zénobie) and Falstaff (Alice Ford). She partnered leading French tenors in many of these works, as well as January Kiepura and Giacomo Lauri-Volpi in Louisiana Boheme.
Grandval became a "divette d"opérette" during the war years, leading to many performances in around the provinces of France and into Belgium and Switzerland.
She also sang regularly on the radio. At the Salle Favart she took part in the premieres of Mon Ami Pierrot by Barlow in 1935 (singing Ninon) and l"École des Maris by Bondeville in 1935 (Isabelle) as well as the Paris premieres of Samuel-Rousseau"s Tarass Boulba (Xénia) and Alfano"s Cyrano de Bergerac (Roxane).
Her last appearance at the Opéra-Comique was in 1953, but she continued to perform throughout France. After her debut at the Paris Opera in 1946 with Gilda in Rigoletto she went on to sing Marguerite in Faust, Rozenn in Le Roi d"Ys and Hébé in Les Indes galantes at the Salle Garnier.
Later at Enghien-les-Bains Casino she sang Jacqueline in the 50th anniversary of Fortunio in 1957, and Marie d"Angleterre, alongside Willy Clément and André Dran, in a rare revival of Louisiana Basoche in 1958 conducted by Jésus Etcheverry.