LA ROCHE D’HYS: Domaine des Arts – France2024-11-27T00:56:54+00:00
La Roche d'Hys Domaine des Arts - Lyric Artistic Residency - 2025

SINGING AS THEATRE | THE BODY SINGS

Two powerhouse workshops and masterclass series have joined forces to fuel the singer and collaborative pianist participants of this artistic residency in the stunning natural setting of La Roche d’Hys: Domaine des Arts, a farm estate that overlooks the rolling valleys in the Côte d’Or region of Bourgogne, France. This lyric “bootcamp” in a country retreat setting offers top level technical and performance coaching from an industry perspective and is designed for advanced/professional level singers and pianists that come with their own repertoire agenda and technical/performance development objectives. This may be for audition, recital, concert, operatic role and/or competition preparation, all of this under the guidance of our internationally recognized faculty.

To create a more balanced and complete program, each week will have its particular focus of repertoire genre:

WEEK 1: Art Song & Concert Repertoire*

WEEK 2: Opera Arias & Scenes

Public Concerts:

  • Fête Nationale de la Musique, “Les Chansons de nos Pays” – 22 juin, 2025, l’Église de Massingy-lès-Vitteaux, Bourgogne
  • Concert de Clôture du Stage – 28 juin, 2025, Salle de Concert, La Roche d’Hys, Massingy-lès-Vitteaux, Bourgogne

*(oratorio, mass, cantata, etc.)

FACULTY:

GUEST FACULTY | MASTERCLASS:

PHILIPPE GRENECHE – Gren’Art Management, Paris

Born in Linz, Austria, Jeannette Aster was brought up and educated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Trained initially as a classical dancer, she obtained her BMus in Voice Performance from McGill University before going on to study Opera Production at the London Opera Centre in London, England.
After serving 5 years as a staff director in the Netherlands Opera, Hamburg State Opera and the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Aster made her Canadian debut as stage director in 1977 at the National Arts Centre Festival in Ottawa with Mozart’s Magic Flute, returning the following season to direct Cosi fan tutte.
She began working with the Canadian Opera Company in 1972. In 1979 together with General Director Lotfi Mansouri, and his associate John Leberg, she helped found the COC Ensemble (Young Artist programme) and in 1980 became its first resident director. In 1986, at the invitation of Peter Hemmings, she joined the newly formed Los Angeles Music Center Opera as a founding Associate Director and resident stage director.

From 1988 to 1998 Aster was Artistic Director of Opera Lyra Ottawa. In addition to presenting mainstage opera productions at the National Arts Centre, Aster commissioned 3 new operas, instituted a comprehensive training programme which included a boys’ choir, teen chorus and Associate Artist Studio, and community-based education projects for adults and young people.

Between 1999 and 2008 Aster has been Artistic Consultant and Director of Productions for Eurostage, a private opera producer based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which developed new opera productions in collaboration with the State Operas and National theatres in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Moldova and Russia for touring throughout Western Europe. Her productions of Madama Butterfly, Don Giovanni, Rigoletto, Lucia de Lammermoor, and La Traviata have been presented in theatres in the Netherlands, France, Germany, Switzerland and England.

Aster works internationally as an opera consultant and free-lance stage director. She has produced Verdi’s Falstaff in Los Angeles, Otello with Plácido Domingo in Los Angeles and Houston (after which Domingo invited her to direct this opera in Puerto Rico). Her staging of Tristan und Isolde, designed by David Hockney, at the Maggio Musicale in Florence won the 1990 International Critics Prize. Other international engagements include the European Premiere of Sir Michael Tippett’s New Year at Glyndebourne and a revival of Katya Kabanova in Paris. She produced Salome at the Lyric Opera Chicago, Washington Opera, San Francisco Opera, Detroit, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and the Hong Kong Festival. Aster produced The Marriage of Figaro in New Zealand, later directing La Bohème and Les Contes de Hoffmann.

Aster regularly teaches masterclasses in operatic role study and dramatic interpretation in many opera studios and conservatories around the world . She also sits on the juries of numerous international voice competitions. Since 2001 she has been General Director of La Roche D’Hys – Domaine des Arts, an international centre for cultural encounters and professional development in Burgundy, France. Its programmes include workshops, masterclasses, seminars, exhibitions, conferences, and artists’ residency retreats in all the arts disciplines as well as the presentation of concerts, theatrical and literary events.

Saskatchewan born baritone Stuart Graham, received his formal education at the Faculty of Music of McGill University in Montréal, Canada, with the renowned Canadian baritone Mr. Bernard Turgeon. In 1998, he continued his studies with Diane Forlano at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den Haag, Nederlands, and since January of 2000, Mr. Graham has enjoyed the mentorship of Diana Soviero (Metropolitan Opera, New York) as well as coaching with the incomparable Maestra Teresa Berganza (Madrid, España).

Since 1992 Stuart Graham has been heard in recital, oratorio and in opera in Canada, the United States,  Europe and in Mexico, enjoying successes accompanied by orchestras and ensembles, such as: l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, I Musici de Montréal, the Saskatoon Symphony, Silesian State Opera, Slovak State Philharmonic (Košice) and the Oakville Symphony Orchestra. His performance in the world premier of Edifice by Arlan Schultz was broadcast by CBC, the BBC, Radio-France and the Bavarian Radio. In 1993, Mr. Graham made his New York debut as invited artist in recital as part of the Riverside Chamber Music Series (Riverside Church, New York, NY.).

2018/19 was a very full season with performances as Plagio in VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert’s Canadian Premier production of Mercadante’s I DUE FIGARO, as Fr. Andrew in Opera in Concert’s World Premier production of Victor Davies’ adaptation of George Ryga’s THE ECSTACY OF RITA JOE (also presented at the Ryga Festival, Summerland, BC), as Agamemnon  in Toronto Operetta Theatre’s LA BELLE HÉLÈNE of Jacques Offenbach. 2018 also saw Mr. Graham’s Italian debut in Milan performing the roles of Tonio/Taddeo in Leoncavallo’s I PAGLIACCI with La Compagnia di Canto Vittorio Tosto. He returned to Milan in February 2019 to sing further presentations of I PAGLIACCI. Other recent performance credits include: Recital of songs of Rachmaninoff, Rachel Laurin’s LES TROIS FABLE Opus 9, and Gustav Mahler’s DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN with pianist Narmina Afandiyeva at Jeanne Lamon Hall (Toronto) and later at La Roche d’Hys (France), Peter Tongi’s ISIS AND OSIRIS: THE GODS OF EGYPT as the Grand Vizier Khamet (world premier) with Toronto’s Opera in Concert, as Marquis Evrémonde in Victor Davies/Eugene Benson’s TALE OF TWO CITIES (world premier), as well as performances of Jacques Offenbach’s LA VIE PARISIENNE (Baron Gondremark) with the Toronto Operetta Theatre, Angeles Lopez-Artiga’s YO VIVO (for baritone & orchestra) at the Palau des Arts (Valencia, Spain) and in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony as guest artist with the Opera Nacional Bellas Artes (Mexico City) and the Orquesta Sinfónica Silvestre Revueltas in Celaya, México.

As a voice technician and performance coach, Mr. Graham maintains a very active private studio in Toronto and, most recently, workshops in Milan (Italy) and Mexico (Masterclass series: Opera as Theatre). In addition, he is often called upon to adjudicate for exams (graduate level) and music festivals.

Artists in his studio have directly achieved:

  • Admittance (full performance scholarship – Graduate level) to McGill University, Conservatoire de Musique de Québec à Montréal, Université de Montréal, Royal Academy of Music (London, England), Britten-Pears School, Manhattan School of Music (New York, USA), Berkley School of Music (Boston, USA)
  • 1st Prize winner of the Classical Singer International Singing Competition (New York, New York)
  • Prize winners in competitions in Barcelona, Brataslava.
  • Engagements for concert, opera and musical theatre in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Chicago, New York, Sarasota, London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Burgos (Bulgaria), Brasov (Romania),  as well as Festival Juste Pour Rire, Cirque du Soleil, Shaw Festival.

born in Baku (Azerbaijan). A fourth-generation musician, Narmina never had to think about her occupational choice. After an early start, she gave her premiere solo concert at the age of 6. During her studies at the Bülbül Specialized musical school under the guidance of Adelya Vekilova, Narmina frequently gave solo concerts and performed with the orchestra. Prize-winner of many piano contests in Azerbaijan, Narmina graduated from the U. Hadjibeyov Azerbaijan State Conservatory with master’s degree in 2000. In October 2012, she was awarded the Gwendolyn Koldofsky Prize in Accompanying, (University of Toronto, Faculty of Music). In great demand as a chamber musician, collaborative pianist and coach, Narmina has been working as a music director for VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre and other companies. Being involved in many great projects, Narmina has had the honour to work with Canadian composers, such as Victor Davies and Peter Togni, and enjoyed working under the batons of Robert Cooper, Derek Bate and Larry Beckwith. Recent performances include chamber music and piano works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Grieg, Chopin and such operas as Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, Chrubini’s Médée, Elektra by Richard Strauss, I Due Figaro by Mercadante, THE ECSTACY OF RITA JOE by Victor Davis, WERTHER by Massenet (Opera in Concert) amongst others.

APPLICATION & AUDITION DEADLINE:

MARCH 15, 2025

LIVE auditions may be arranged by appointment in:

  • TORONTO, Canada: September 18, 2024 – March 15, 2025
  • MEXICO CITY, Mexico: September 3-13, 2024

ADMISSIBILITY:

  • This residency is open to world-wide application and is for advanced/professional level singersand for collaborative pianists.
  • THERE IS NO AGE LIMIT – MATURE SINGERS WELCOME
  • PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO A MAXIMUM OF 10 SINGERS & 3 COLLABORATIVE PIANISTS.

 TUITION & ACCOMMODATION (15 DAYS): €2000.00

  • Total course cost is €1000.00
  • Accommodation and full board (3 meals per day), free day tourist excursion is €1000.00

NOTE: Participants are responsible for their own travel and arrangements to and from La Roche d’Hys.

HOW TO APPLY:

  • Interested applicants should email their materials (C.V., bio, headshot) as well as a statement of intent outlining their particular study/performance objectives and proposed repertoire to be workshopped for this residency.
  • AUDITION:If the candidate is unable to present a live audition, they may submit video links (YouTube, Vimeo) in their application email.
  • Please send all inquiries and application materials to Mr. Stuart Graham at: info@stuartgraham.ca

PROCEDURES: (Once accepted to the program)

  • Follow the instructions as outlined in your Letter of Acceptance.
  • Submit your signed copy of registration agreement along with your TUITION DEPOSIT of €500 to secure your place in the program. (Important note: Deposit IS NON-REFUNDABLE after March 1, 2025).
  • The remaining TUITION balance of €500 is due May 1, 2025.
  • The €1000 fee for 14 days accommodation and full board may be paid (in cash) upon your arrival at La Roche d’Hys on June 14, 2025.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

  • Notice must be given in writing.
  • If notice is given on or before March 1, 2025, any deposit made will be refunded minus applicable bank fees.
  • In the case of course cancellation, all deposits and monies paid towards tuition will be refunded minus applicable bank fees.

What is La Roche d’Hys?

WHAT TO EXPECT?

  • 50 hours of individual coaching (vocal/musical/dramatic) and group masterclasses with each of our faculty members
  • Daily physical warmup “Tuning the body”, emphasis on physical expression, engaging the body, breathing
  • Each class day ends with a performance class
  • Public concerts
  • Professional Demo Recording (CD) is possible (for an additional fee paid directly to the recording engineer)
  • A free day to explore the local history, medieval villages, castles, monasteries, Dijon OR just relax and enjoy the tranquility of the Côte d’Or.
  • The food at La Roche d’Hys is spectacular and plentiful as is the wine!

 

Where is La Roche d’Hys?

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