The daughter of the governor of the French Caribbean islands Guadeloupe and Martinique, Gerville-Réache studied in Paris with legendary Pauline Viardot-Garcia, before having her career jump-started by the Soprano Emma Calvé. She was acclaimed for her interpretation of the title role in Saint-Saëns’ opera Samson et Dalila, and she premiered the role of Geneviève in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande. She died aged 32 from Ptomaine poisoning which triggered a ruptured appendix, inducing a miscarriage.