Gérard Lesne (; born 15 July 1956) is a French

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

. He is also the founder and artistic director of the

baroque music Baroque music ( or ) refers to the period or dominant style of Classical music, Western classical music composed from about 1600 to 1750. The Baroque style followed the Renaissance music, Renaissance period, and was followed in turn by the Class ...

ensemble, Il Seminario Musicale.

Life and career

Gérard Lesne was born in

Montmorency, Val-d'Oise Montmorency () is a Communes of France, commune in the Val-d'Oise department, in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Montmorency was the fief of the Montmorency family, one of the oldest ...

. He was originally a rock singer, but in 1979 the tenor Zeger Vandersteene introduced him to René Clemencic, a pioneer of work in the medieval repertoire, and at age 23, Lesne began touring with the Clemencic Consort. Lesne has made more than 70 recordings and has appeared as a soloist at numerous opera houses and music festivals including the

Opéra de Paris The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...

, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées,

La Fenice Teatro La Fenice (; "The Phoenix Theatre") is a historic opera house in Venice, Italy. It is one of "the most famous and renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre" and in the history of opera as a whole. Especially in the 19th cen ...

Opéra National de Lyon The Opéra National de Lyon (), marketed as Opéra de Lyon during the last decade, is an opera company in Lyon, based and performing mostly at the Opéra Nouvel, an 1831 theater that was modernized and architecturally transformed in 1993. Histo ...

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

Teatro San Carlo The Real Teatro di San Carlo ("Royal Theatre of Saint Charles"), as originally named by the Bourbon monarchy but today known simply as the Teatro (di) San Carlo, is a historic opera house in Naples, Italy, connected to the Royal Palace and a ...

Aix-en-Provence Festival The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumenta ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( ; ; ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city of the Netherlands, as well as the capital and the most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of Utrecht (province), Utrecht. The ...

Early Music Festival, and

Boston Early Music Festival The Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 in Boston, Massachusetts, to promote historical music performance. It arranges an annual Boston and New York City concert series, produces opera recordings, and ...

. Since 1993, Gérard Lesne has taught annual courses in vocal interpretation at Royaumont Abbey in France. In 2004, Gerard Lesne was made

Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...

by the French government, and received the

Académie Charles Cros The Académie Charles Cros (Charles Cros Academy) is an organization located in Chézy-sur-Marne, France, that acts as an intermediary between government cultural policy makers and professionals in music and the recording industry. The academy ...

''in honorem'' prize for his career. His voice is described as full-bodied.

Selected discography

* 1979 : ''

Cantigas de Santa Maria The ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'' (, ; "Canticles of Holy Mary") are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile, Alfonso X of Castile ''El Sabio'' (1221–1284). T ...

'', with Alia Musica, on PolyGram. * 1980 :

Gilles Binchois Gilles de Bins dit Binchois (also Binchoys; – 20 September 1460) was a Franco-Flemish composer and singer of early Renaissance music. A central figure of the Burgundian School, Binchois is renowned a melodist and miniaturist; he generally a ...

: chansons, missa Ferialis, Magnificat, with Clemencic Consort, on Musique en Wallonie. * 1986 : ''Cantate Italiane e Sonata'', by

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist, impresario of Baroque music and Roman Catholic priest. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lif ...

, with Fabio Biondi on violin solo and Il Seminario Musicale, ''

Diapason d'Or The Diapason d'Or (French for "Golden Tuning Fork") is a recommendation of outstanding (mostly) classical music recordings given by reviewers of '' Diapason'' magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the ...

'' award, on Adda. Re-released by Musidisc in 2001. * 1991 : ''Cantatas'', by

Antonio Caldara Antonio Caldara ( – 28 December 1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Life Caldara was born in Venice (exact date unknown), the son of a violinist. He became a chorister at St Mark's in Venice, where he learned several instruments, probab ...

, on

Virgin Classics Virgin Classics was a record label founded in 1988 as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Records. The unit, along with EMI Classics, was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012 as part of the takeover of the EMI Music Group, however the terms o ...

. Re-released in 1999. * 1992 : ''O Lusitano'', by various Portuguese composers, on Virgin Classics. * 1992 : ''Salve Regina'', by Vivaldi, with Fabio Biondi and Il Seminario Musicale, ''Diapason d'Or'' award, Virgin *1993 :

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

- ''Leçons de Ténèbres - Office du Vendredi Saint'', H.105, H.95, H.140, H.133, H.130, H.99, H.100, A. Mellon, G. Lesne, I. Honeyman, J. Bona, Il Seminario Musicale - Virgin Classics, CD 7592952 (p 1992 c 1993) * 1995 : ''Motets'', by

Alessandro Stradella Antonio Alessandro Boncompagno Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682) was an Italian composer of the middle Baroque period. He enjoyed a dazzling career as a freelance composer, writing on commission, and collaborating with ...

, with Sandrine Piau and Il Seminario Musicale, on Virgin Classics. Re-released in 1999 with the cantatas of Antonio Caldara. *1995 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - ''Leçons de ténèbres'' - ''Office du Mercredi Saint,'' H.120, H.138, H.141, H.117, H.131, H.126'', Miserere'' H.173 - C. Greuillet, C. Pelon, C. Purves, G. Lesne, Il Seminario Musicale ''- Virgin'' Classics, CD 5451072 (p 1995 c 1995). *1995 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier ''- Leçons de Ténèbres - Office du Jeudi Saint'', H.121, H.139, H.136, H.144, H.128, H.528, H.510, H.521 - I. Honeyman, P. Harvey, S. Piau, G. Lesne, Il Seminario Musicale - Virgin Classics, CD 5450752 (p 1995 c 1995) *1997 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - '' David et Jonathas'' H.490, with Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie. 3 CD Harmonia Mundi *2000 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier - ''Trois histoires sacrées'', ''Mors Saülis et Jonathae'' H.403, ''Sacrificium Abrahae'', H.402, ''In Circumcisione Domini / Dialogus inter Angelum et pastores,'' H.406, M. L. Duthoit, J. Azzaretti, G. Lesne, B. Clee, J . F. Novelli, N. Bauchau, R. Nédélec, R. Spogis Naïve, CD E 8821 (2000) * 2001 : ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreveren ...

'', by

Carl Orff Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...

, with L'Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, with

Natalie Dessay Natalie Dessay (; born 19 April 1965) is a French soprano, best known as an opera singer before her retirement from the opera stage in 2013. She gained wide recognition after her portrayal of Olympia in ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' in 1992, and then ...

Thomas Hampson Thomas Walter Hampson (born June 28, 1955) is an American lyric baritone, a classical singer who has appeared world-wide in major opera houses and concert halls and made over 170 musical recordings. Hampson's operatic repertoire spans a range ...

Michel Plasson Michel Plasson (born 2 October 1933, Paris, France) is a French conductor. Plasson was a student of Lazare Lévy at the Conservatoire de Paris. In 1962, he was a prize-winner at the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. ...

* 2002 : ''Arias et cantates'', by the Bachs, with Il Seminario Musicale, conducted by Gérard Lesne * 2002 : ''Cantates BWV21 et BWV42'', by

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (German: �joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the or ...

, with

Collegium Vocale Gent Collegium Vocale Gent is a Belgian musical ensemble of vocalists and supporting instrumentalists, founded by Philippe Herreweghe. The group specializes in historically informed performance. Founding and program Collegium Vocale Gent was founded ...

, La Chapelle Royale, conducted by

Philippe Herreweghe Philippe Maria François Herreweghe, Knight Herreweghe (born 2 May 1947) is a Belgian conductor and choirmaster. Herreweghe founded La Chapelle Royale and Collegium Vocale Gent and is renowned as a conductor, with a repertoire ranging from ...

* 2002 : ''Stabat Mater'', by

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Giovanni Battista Draghi (; 4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736), usually referred to as Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (), was an Italian Baroque composer, violinist, and organist, leading exponent of the Baroque; he is considered one of the g ...

, with Il Seminario Musicale and Véronique Gens, conducted by Gérard Lesne * 2003 : ''Ô Solitude'', by

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: ; September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer of Baroque music, most remembered for his more than 100 songs; a tragic opera, Dido and Aeneas, ''Dido and Aeneas''; and his incidental music to a version o ...

, with Il Seminario Musicale, conducted by Gérard Lesne * 2005 : ''Human?'', with Shazz and Massa (CD), on Naïve * 2006 : ''Salve Regina'', by Antonio Vivaldi, with Il Seminario Musicale, conducted by Gérard Lesne *2007 : Marc-Antoine Charpentier : ''Orphée descendant aux enfers'' H.471, ''Epitaphium Carpentarii'' H.474, douze ''Airs sérieux et à boire, Tristes déserts'' H.469, H.467, H.455, H.445, H.463, H.456, .461, H.450, H.446, H.470, H.448, H.466 et les ''Stances du Cid'' H.457 H.458 H.459, Il Seminario Musicale, Gérard Lesne, Cyril Auvity, Edwin Crossley-Mercer. CD Zig-Zag territoires.

References

External links

Short biography at Bach-Cantatas.com

at the Foundation de l'abbaye de Royaumont (in English) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lesne, Gerard 1956 births Living people People from Montmorency, Val-d'Oise 20th-century French male opera singers Operatic countertenors French performers of early music Erato Records artists 21st-century French male opera singers