| 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.
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