Julie Fuchs

French Soprano Julie Fuchs

Julie Fuchs is a young French soprano known for her interpretation of light-lyric repertoire.

Childhood and studies

Born in Meaux, France to a father who was a manager, and a mother who was a swimming teacher, Julie grew up in Avignon. At age 7, she began violin lessons and started studying music theory and history at the Avignon Conservatory. After singing a variety of repertoire (pop, jazz…), she was selected to be part of a European choir, “Voices of Europe” with whom she toured Europe, and sang with Bjork during the recording of “Which was the Son of” by Arvo Pärt. This experience marked a turning point in her young musical life, as she discovered a desire to explore singing. At age 18, she began private classical voice lessons and acting lessons.

In 2006, she entered the CNSM in Paris, considered the top conservatory in France. There, she made her first operatic role debuts as Elle in l’Amour Masqué by Messager and Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro by Mozart. During her time at the conservatory, she met and developed relationship with artists that she is still working with today, such as the founder of the French contemporary classical music group, Le Balcon, and the pianist Alphonse Cemin. In 2010, she graduated with honors.

Career

As soon as she finished her studies, she made her professional career performing Galatea at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

In 2013, she joined the opera ensemble at the Zurich Opera. There she debuted several roles, including Marzelline (Fidelio), Morgana (Alcina), Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Angelica (Orlando), Comtesse Folleville (Viaggio a Reims).

In 2014, the young soprano was noticed by the prestigious record company Deutsche Grammophon, and signed an exclusive contract that year. Her first album, Yes! was released in 2015, and paid homage to French repertoire in the 1930s and 1940s.

That same year, she made her debut at the Opéra national de Paris in the role of la Folie in Platée by Rameau. She also made her debut in a Rossini repertoire as the Comtesse Folleville at the Zurich Opera, and sang in the televised concert in celebration of Bastille Day in Paris, under the Eiffel Tower. At the Salzburg Festival that same year, she made her festival debut as the soprano in Mozart’s Mass in C Minor.

2016 marked her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Musetta (La Bohème), she sang with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the BBC Proms, and she made her debut at the Chorégies d’Orange, the celebrated festival in the South of France. Her year of debuts continued in Vienna, where she was praised by the press for her debut as Marie in La Fille du régiment (Donizetti).

In 2017, she returned to the Opéra national de Paris, this time to create the role of Esther for the premiere of the opera Trompe-la-mort de Lucas Francesconi, and to sing the role of Nannetta (Falstaff). Other highlights included Leïla in Les Pêcheurs de perles de (Bizet) at the Auditorium du Nouveau Siècle in Lille and at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. She also returned to the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence as Zerlina (Don Giovanni). She also made her debut at the Teatro Real de Madrid as Giunia (Lucio Silla).

2018 began with the role of Comtesse Adèle (Le Comte Ory) in a new production at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Her season ends at the Zurich Opera in a new production of L’Incoronazione di Poppea. She performs the title role.

The same year, she was also the center of a media firestorm regarding her firing from the role of Pamina (The Magic Flute) at the Hamburg Staatsoper due to her pregnancy. The coverage surrounding her brought to light the progress that still needs to be made regarding women’s right in the opera world.

Julie Fuchs is particularly active on social media under the handle juliefuchssoprano.

Other

She was a “marraine” of Tous à l’Opéra alongside Ruggero Raimondi in 2012. At the end of 2017, she sang Ave Maria by Franz Schubert at the televised funeral of Johnny Hallyday at the Madeleine Church in Paris.

Awards

• • Révélation classique de l'Adami (2009)
  • Prize winner at Palazzetto Bru Zane at the Concours de Paris (2010)
  • Révélation lyrique at the Victoires de la musique classique (2012)
  • Gabriel Dussurget Prize at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence (2011)
  • « Révélation musicale » of the 2012/2013 par le Syndicat professionnel de la critique de théâtre, musique et danse 2.
  • Second prize at Operalia (2013)1
  • Nominated as « artiste de l'année » at the Victoires de la musique classique (2014).

Recordings

• • Mélodies de Jeunesse, including works by Gustav Mahler and Claude Debussy with pianist Alphonse Cemin, recorded for Aparté/Harmonia Mundi.
  • The complete Mélodies pour Piano et Voix by Francis Poulenc for the label Atma Classique.
  • Ciboulette, 2014, (DVD) Opéra de Hahn, Framusica
  • l’Amour Masqué by Messager Yes!, 2015, répertoire français des années 30, Deutsche Grammophon,
  • l’Amour Masqué by Messager Elles et Barbara, 2017, femmes qui chantent' et offrent une relecture inédite des classiques de celle qui se définissait comme 'la femme qui chante' Mercury Music Group [archive]
  • l’Amour Masqué by Messager Les pêcheurs de perles, 2018, enregistrement live, Pentatone Music [archive]
  • Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers). Cyrille Dubois, Florian Sempey, Luc Bertin-Hugault, Alexandre Bloch, Orchestre National de Lille, Les Cris de Paris. PENTATONE PTC 5186685 (2018).

References