Opera Lafayette

Opera Lafayette Orchestra and Chorus

Jean-Paul Fouchecourt and Catherine Turocy at the Corcoran gallery Opera Lafayette was founded by Artistic Director Ryan Brown in 1995 as The Violins of Lafayette, producing a series of chamber concerts in the Salon Doré, an 18th century drawing room in the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington DC. In the following seasons, the ensemble grew to produce larger works in various venues around the city and quickly established a reputation for excellence. As part of its artistic development, The Violins of Lafayette gave particular attention to performances of opera, both semi-staged and in concert. In 1998 the ensemble produced Charpentier’s Actéon; in 1999, Rameau’s Pygmalion in the statuary hall of the Corcoran Gallery; and in 2000, Lully’s opera-ballet Acis et Galatée with the New York Baroque Dance Company at the Embassy of France.

In the 2001-2002 season the newly named Opera Lafayette was invited to be a part of the inaugural season of the new Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. Opera Lafayette’s performance of the 1774 Paris version of Gluck’s Orphée et Euridice with Jean-Paul Fouchécourt was greeted by the public and press with unanimous acclaim and began an ongoing collaboration with the Center involving both the presentation of performances of 17^th and 18^th century opera as well as a series of recordings in the extraordinary acoustics of the Center’s Dekelboum hall.

Featured Artists in 2005-2006

Our 2005-2006 program will feature a number of distinguished guest artists including:

Robert Baker, Tenor American tenor Robert Baker has sung in more than 200 performances with The Washington National Opera, including recent appearances as the High Priest in Idomeneo, Remandado in Carmen, the 1^st Jew in Salome, Don Basilio in Le nozze di Figaro, the Magician in The Consul, and the Emperor in Turandot. He recently made debuts at the Metropolitan Opera as well as the Spoleto Festival in War and Peace (the latter was recorded by Chandos).

Kirsten Blaise, Soprano One of the most remarkable young singers to emerge in recent years, soprano Kirsten Blaise is rapidly earning outstanding critical acclaim for her performances in concert and recital throughout the world. Ms. Blaise is an artist of broad scope whose repertoire ranges from John Dowland to John Adams, from Chamber Music to Opera. Since her debut she has been in particular demand for her interpretations of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and repertoire of the French Baroque.

Tony Boutté, Tenor Mr. Boutté enjoys a growing career as a performer of music from the Baroque to the present. In the past several years, Tony has debuted with three important European conductors: William Christie of Les Arts Florissants; Christophe Rousset of Les Talens Lyriques; and Hervé Niquet of Concert Spirituel. He has sung with many of North America’s premiere ensembles, including Opera Lafayette, New York Collegium, Washington Bach Consort, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Tafelmusik. Boutté has also performed at the Salzburg Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Bard Festival, Skylight Opera Theater, Schleswig-Holstein Festival and Tage Alte Muzik Regensberg.

Robert Breault, Tenor Mr. Breault enjoys an international career that encompasses opera, oratorio, recital, and concert work. His warm and flexible tenor voice and dramatic acting skills account for his enthusiastic reception and re-engagements wherever he performs. The San Francisco Chronicle called his voice “a tenor of unwavering resonance.” The Washington Post noted, “Breault’s voice has a powerful character with a sturdy range.”

Miriam Dubrow, Soprano Ms. Dubrow began her vocal training in Philadelphia with Margaret Poyner of the Curtis Institute and Julianne Baird. She continued her studies on scholarship at the Peabody Conservatory working with Phyllis Bryn-Julson and Wayne Conner. Ms. Dubrow has also won several singing fellowships, including invitations to the Tanglewood Music Center and the Israel Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, where she performed a series of lieder concerts with the renown pianist/conductor Martin Isepp and under sponsorship by the British Council.

Elizabeth Field, Violin Ms. Field, a member of the Opera Lafayette Orchestra for several years, enjoys an active career as both a chamber musician and soloist on both period and modern instruments throughout the United States and Europe. Ms. Field holds a Doctorate from Cornell University in Historical Performance Practice and from 1993 to 1999 served as Professor of violin at California State University, Sacramento and The University of California, Davis. She is currently teaching at Duke University where she is helping to establish a Historical Performance Practice program.

Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt has been one of the main exponents of the French Baroque repertoire for the last decade, working with conductors such as Ryan Brown, William Christie, Marc Minkowsky, René Jacobs and Christophe Rousset. His performances and recording of works by Rameau and Lully have received huge acclaim, and in addition he has in the last few years performed repertoire from Berlioz to Offenbach and Britten. Mr. Fouchécourt made his Metropolitan Opera debut in Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffman, and has sung the title role in Rameau's Platée in a joint production of the Edinburgh Festival and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

Stephanie Houtzeel, Mezzo-Soprano Nominated one of the best up-and-coming singers of 2003 by OPERNWELT magazine for her performance of the Composer in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, Stephanie Houtzeel has appeared most recently at the Zurich, Antwerp, Graz and St. Gallen Opera Houses. She sang the Composer in both Graz and Zurich, Nicklausse in Tales of Hoffmann in Antwerp, Octavian and Nicklausse in St. Gallen, as well as further roles in Graz such as Zerlina, Don Ramiro in Mozart's La finta giardiniera, Prince Orlofsky and Ino in Handel's Semele.

François Loup, Bass-Baritone François Loup, singer, actor and stage director made his debut on the international music scene at the 1974 Spoleto Festival at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti. His reputation rapidly grew to international stature and he first performed in Washington in 1981. Mr. Loup has performed with the Metropolitan Opera of New York since 1992 where he has given more than a hundred performances in major roles like Bartolo (Mozart and Rossini), Dulcamara in Elisir d’Amore, Sulpice in the Daughter of the Regiment as well as in the Sacristan in Tosca; Benoit and Alcindoro in La Bohême, Frank in Die F1edermaus and Major d’Uomo in Strauss’s Capriccio.

Loretta O'Sullivan, Cello Loretta O'Sullivan has been praised in the US and Europe as a versatile artist on both historical and modern cello. As a member of The Four Nations Ensemble since 1989, Ms. O'Sullivan performs far-ranging repertoire from Stradella to Debussy. With the Ensemble she has appeared on the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center and at the Kennedy Center, as well as the Mostly Mozart Festival, the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut and other festivals across the country. With The Four Nations Ensemble, she has recorded for the ASV/Gaudeamus label of London.

Catherine Turocy, Choreographer and Dancer Catherine Turocy is Artistic Director and co-founder of The New York Baroque Dance Company and is internationally recognized for her contribution to the current revival of 18^th century works. She has been commissioned to choreograph over 20 opera productions in France and the United States, including Rameau's Les Boréades and Les Fêtes d'Hébé, Leclair's Scylla et Glaucus, Charpentier's Les Arts Florissants.