Gilles San Juan - Biography
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The tenor Gilles San Juan, of french and spanish origin is critically acclaimed as an artist of many different talents. He is as at home in the lyric repertoire as he is in musicals, host of reviews and as a singer of Argentinian tango.
He began as an actor (student of Julien Bertheau), taking up vocal studies with the tenor Albert Lance in Nice, and since 1992 in Paris has been guided by the founder of the Festival at Aix en Provence, Gabriel Dussurget.

In 1996 he began his professional singing career in productions at Nice Opera where he became a soloist on contract from January 2000 until December 2003. On the stage in Nice and elsewhere he began to form a solid repertoire consisting of Carmen – Remendado; Hansel and Grethel – the witch in the french version; Don Quixote – Juan; Bastien and Bastienne – Bastien; Don Giovanni – Don Ottavio; The Magic Flute – Monostatos; The Tales of Hoffmann – the four servants; Il Tabarro – Il Tinca; The Fanciulla del West – Trin; L’Heure Espagnole – Torquemada; Eugene Onegin – Triquet; La Traviata – Gastone; Falstaff – Bardolfo; Turandot – Pong;…

He has also performed in contemporary works; Elephant Man by Petitgirard – first boy and Il Guidizio de Paride by Panni – Ganimede.

Gilles San Juan regularly performs in recitals and concerts, covering a large repertoire; sacred music (Bach, Handel, Mozart, Franck, Gounod......) french song (Satie, Poulenc......) and italian song (Tosti, Bellini, Donizetti, Puccini…), lieder, oratorios (Stravinsky, Orff,…).
His innate comic and theatrical skills make him ideal for operetta – Die Fledermaus (in the french version Alfred/Eisenstein) and in particular Offenbach – La Vie Parisienne – the Brazilian, La Perichole – Piquillo, but also for musical comedy – West Side Story, The Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret......
But the particularity of this classical singer is as an interpreter of argentinian tango. His origins, his ability to speak fluent spanish and his passion for this style of music make him a worthy successor to Carlos Gardel with a repertoire that extends from classical tango (1920-1950) to neo-tango and jazz tango (1950 to the present day). He has performed with Richard Galliano (recital Piazzolla), in Paris-Tango (oratorio-ballet by Mossalini) and sings regularly with larger groups (Alma Tango, Milonga Quintett), as well as in intimate settings with pianist Sebastien Driant (Tangoforte).

Gilles San Juan has worked with directors such as Jean-Claude Auvray, Daniel Benoin, Daniel Mesguich, Gian-Carlo del Monaco, Paul-Emile Fourny, Zhang Yimou, and under the musical direction of Cyril Diederich, Marco Guidarini, Alain Guingal, Renato Palumbo, Marcello Panni, Laurent Petitgirard, and has sung alongside Barbara Hendricks, Milva, Inva Mula, Marcello Alvarez, José Cura, Ruggero Raimondi and performed with the actor Michael Lonsdale.

He is perfecting and maintaining his vocal technique with the tenor Vasile Moldoveaunu. This double ability of singer and actor means that Gilles San Juan is an artist who is capable of adapting to all forms of musical, theatrical and filmic art forms.

 

BIOGRAPHY