Jean-François Lapointe

Jean-François Lapointe is a Canadian baritone opera singer.

Career

Born in the region of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Jean-François Lapointe first studied piano and violin and, at the age of 16, devoted himself entirely to singing. He worked under the direction of Louise André at Université Laval in Quebec City, where he obtained a master's degree in Interpretation, before pursuing advanced studies in the United States with Martial Singher. He has received many awards, including three at the prestigious Concours international de chant de Paris.

Since his stage debut at the age of 17, Jean-François Lapointe has sung more than sixty roles in numerous major opera houses around the world. Highly regarded as a lyric baritone for his many major roles in that repertoire, he became famous for his performance of the eponymous role in Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet, in Copenhagen, Trieste and Geneva, as well as of Mercutio (Roméo et Juliette) in Cincinnati, Orange and Tokyo. He also sang the role of Valentin (Faust) a great many times over his career, namely in Turin, Madrid, Monte-Carlo, as well as Orange in August 2008. More recently, he sang the role of Albert (Werther) in the Théatre de la Monnaie in Brussels. Over the past few seasons, Jean-François Lapointe made his debut in the roles of Chorèbe, (Les Troyens) in Geneva, Escamillo, (Carmen), in Lausanne, France and in Japan, and of Zurga, (Les pêcheurs de perles), at the Opera of Toulon, in January 2009.

His performance of Pelléas (2005) in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande became a career-defining moment, a role he sang in North America (including Toronto and Cincinnati) as well as Europe: he worked under the direction of Yannis Kokkos in Bordeaux, Toulouse and at la Scala of Milan in November 2005. The Parisian audience saw his Pelléas in June 2007, under the direction of Bernard Haitink, in Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

Jean-François Lapointe is also known for his dedication at championing neglected operatic works. He thus took part in the première of Bernstein's Candide to a French libretto, and went on to perform the role in France and throughout Europe. He also collaborated to the re-creation of Mârouf, savetier du Caire, at the Opera of Marseille, and to the production of La jolie fille de Perth in Compiègne (France).

Thanks to his stage presence and his acting skills, he achieved great success in the operetta repertoire, performing the roles of Brissac, (Les mousquetaires au couvent), to great acclaim in Toulouse, le Vice-roi du Pérou (la Périchole) in Marseille and Nancy, and especially Danilo, (La veuve joyeuse) in Montréal, Bordeaux, Liège and Lausanne.

Though a noted performer of the French opera repertoire, Jean-François Lapointe also made his mark in the Italian and Russian repertoire: he sang Figaro (Le Barbier de Seville) at the Opéra Comédie, Count Almaviva (Les Noces de Figaro) in Nancy and Don Giovanni in Trieste. He recently added the role of Prince Eletski to his repertoire, in Pikovaya Dama, which he performed at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo with conductor Dmitri Jurowski and stage director Guy Joosten.

Productions since 2005

2004

Fieramosca, Benvenuto Cellini, Hector Berlioz, Paris

2005

Le Vice-Roi du Pérou, La Périchole, J. Offenbach, Montpellier Valentin, Faust, C. Gounod, Monaco Danilo, The Merry Widow, F. Lehár, Marseille Danilo, La Veuve joyeuse, F. Lehár, Bordeaux Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Glasgow Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Edimburg Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Milan Andrews, Titanic, M. Yeston, Liège

2006

Andrews, Titanic, M. Yeston, Charleroi Hamlet, Hamlet, A. Thomas, Genève Danilo, La Veuve joyeuse, F. Lehár, Liège Valentin, Faust, C. Gounod, Liège Figaro, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Rossini, Paris (Opéra-Comique) Il Comte Almaviva, Le Nozze di Figaro, W.A. Mozart, Nancy Danilo, La Veuve Joyeuse, F. Lehár, Lausanne

2007

Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Toulon Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Liège Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni, W. A. Mozart, Trieste Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées) Chorèbe, Les Troyens, H. Berlioz, Genève Albert, Werther, J. Massenet, Bruxelles

2008

Escamillo, Carmen, G. Bizet, Lausanne, Vichy Direction musicale, La Belle Hélène, Offenbach, Rimouski (Quebec) Valentin, Faust, C. Gounod, Orange Escamillo, Carmen, G. Bizet, Japan

2009

Zurga, Les Pêcheurs de perles, G. Bizet, Toulon Claudio, Béatrice et Bénédict, H. Berlioz, Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées) Eletski, La Dame de pique, P.I. Tchaikovski, Monaco Escamillo, Carmen, G. Bizet, Hyogo, Tokyo, Nagoya Pelléas, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Rome Landry, Fortunio, A. Messager, Paris (Opéra Comique)

2010

Ford, Falstaff, G. Verdi, Paris (TCE) Chorèbe, Les Troyens, H. Berlioz, Amsterdam Énée, Dido and Æneas, H. Purcell, Lausanne, Vichy Direction musicale, Carmen, G. Bizet, Rimouski (Quebec) Escamillo, Carmen, G. Bizet, Barcelona Chorèbe, Les Troyens, H. Berlioz, Berlin

2011

Don Giovanni, Don Giovanni, W.A. Mozart, Marseille Nevers, Les Huguenots, G. Meyerbeer, Bruxelles Oreste, Iphigénie en Tauride, C.W. von Glück, Amsterdam Eugène Onéguine, Eugene Onegin, P.I. Tchaikovski, Quebec Raimbaud, Le Comte Ory, G. Rossini, Genève

2012

L'Horloge comtoise / Le Chat, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, M. Ravel, Monaco Garrido, La Navarraise, J. Massenet, Monaco Ford, Falstaff, G. Verdi, Quebec Zurga, Les Pêcheurs de perles, G. Bizet, Amsterdam Escamillo, Carmen, G. Bizet, Marseille Amrou, Le Mage, J. Massenet, St-Étienne Giorgio Germont, La Traviata, G. Verdi, Frankfurt

2013

Giorgio Germont, La Traviata, G. Verdi, Frankfurt Duparquet, Ciboulette, R Hahn, Paris (Opéra Comique) Marquis de la Force, Dialogues des Carmélites, F. Poulenc, Toronto Marc-Antoine, Cléopâtre, J. Massenet, Marseille Le Grand Prêtre, Alceste, C.W. von Glück, Paris (Palais Garnier) Alphonse XI, La Favorite, G. Donizetti, Monaco, Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées)

2014

Albert, Werther, J. Massenet, Paris (Bastille) Golaud, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Angers, Nantes Le mari, Les Mamelles de Tirésias, F. Poulenc, London (Barbican) Giorgio Germont, La Traviata, G. Verdi, Marseille Golaud, Pelléas et Mélisande, C. Debussy, Helsinki Pharaon, Moïse et Pharaon, G. Rossini, Marseille

2015

L'Horloge Comtoise / Le Chat, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, M. Ravel, Stockholm L'Horloge Comtoise / Le Chat, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, M. Ravel, Paris (Philharmonie) Valentin, Faust, C. Gounod, Paris (Bastille) Germont, La Traviata, G. Verdi, Berlin (Deutsche Oper) Hamlet, Hamlet, A. Thomas, Avignon Ford, Falstaff, G. Verdi, Marseille Guillaume Tell, Guillaume Tell, G. Rossini, Genève Marquis de la Force, Dialogues des Carmélites, F. Poulenc, Amsterdam

2016

Bardi, Dante, B. Godard, Munich, Versailles Germont, La Traviata, G. Verdi, Tampa (Floride) Siméon, L'Enfant prodigue, C. Debussy + L'Horloge Comtoise / Le Chat, L'Enfant et les Sortilèges, M. Ravel, Paris (Radio France) Zurga, Les Pêcheurs de perles, G. Bizet, Nancy Enrico, Lucia di Lammermoor, G. Donizetti, Nancy Hamlet, Hamlet, A. Thomas, Marseille Monsieur Beaucaire, Monsieur Beaucaire, A. Messager, Paris (Opéra Comique) Albert, Werther, J. Massenet, Bologne

2017

Wolfram, Tannhäuser, R. Wagner, Monaco Rodrigo, Don Carlo, G. Verdi, Marseille Ben, Le Téléphone, GC Menotti, Saint-Eustache (Québec) Alphonse XI, La Favorite, G. Donizetti, Marseille Benvenuto Cellini, Ascanio, C. Saint-Saëns, Genève