Natalie Dessay (born Nathalie Dessaix, 19 April 1965, in Lyon) is a French soprano. She dropped the "h" in her first name in honor of Natalie Wood when she was in grade school and subsequently simplified the spelling of her surname. is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the French city. ... This article is about the voice-type. ... Natalie Wood (July 20, 1938 – November 29, 1981) was a three time Academy Award nominated American film actress. ...

Image:Http://www.femme-en-ville.com/blog/images/stars/natalie-dessay/simon-fowler.jpg==From actress to vocalist== Initially an actress, Dessay was encouraged to study voice at the Conservatoire national de région de Bordeaux and gained experience as a chorister in Toulouse. At the competition Les Voix Nouvelles, run by France Telecom, she was awarded First Prize (Premier Prix de Concours) followed by a year's study at Paris Opera's Ecole d'Art Lyrique, where she sang "Elisa" in Mozart's Il re pastore. Also, she entered the International Mozart Competition at the Vienna Staatsoper, winning First Prize. Dessay is considered to be a coloratura soprano New city flag (Occitan cross) Traditional coat of arms Motto: (Occitan: For Toulouse, always more) Location Coordinates Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Administration Country Region Midi-Pyrénées Department Haute-Garonne (31) Intercommunality Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse Mayor Jean-Luc Moudenc  (UMP) (since 2004) City Statistics Land... France Télécom is the main telecommunication company in France. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... Il rè pastore is an opera, K. 208, written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 6 weeks in 1775. ... Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... Coloratura is an old word meaning colouring. ... This article is about the voice-type. ...

She was quickly approached by a number of theatres, and subsequently sang "Blondchen", "Madame Herz" (in Der Schauspieldirektor), "Zerbinetta" and "Zaïde" at the Opéra National de Lyon and the Opera Bastille, as well as "Adele" in Die Fledermaus in Geneva. Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario), K. 486, is a comic Singspiel written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie. ... Opéra National de Lyon is an opera house in Lyon which seats 1,350. ... The Opéra Bastille Opéra Bastille is a modern opera house in Paris, France. ... Scene from the 1984 version. ...

Career

The 1990s

In April and May 1992 at the Opéra Bastille, she sang the short but brilliant role of "Olympia" in The Tales of Hoffmann with José van Dam. The Roman Polanski production was not well received, but it began the road to stardom for Dessay. Although she was soon featured in another production of Hoffmann, it would be over ten years before her triumphant return to Paris Opera in that very role. The Opéra Bastille L’Opéra de la Bastille (Bastille Opera) is a modern opera house in Paris, France. ... The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) is a film by the British-based director-writer team of Powell & Pressburger. ... Roman PolaÅ„ski (born August 18, 1933) is an Academy Award-winning film director, writer, actor, and producer. ...

Soon after her Hoffmann run, Dessay joined the Vienna State Opera as "Blondchen" in The Abduction From The Seraglio by W. A. Mozart. She was then asked to replace Cheryl Studer in all three female roles in a German production of Hoffmann. In December 1993, Dessay's "Olympia" captured the hearts of the Viennese public and Plácido Domingo shared with local media his disbelief at Dessay's seemingly effortless vocal production. Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... The Abduction from the Seraglio (K. 384; in German Die Entführung aus dem Serail) is a comic opera in three acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... Plácido Domingo José Plácido Domingo Embil KBE (born January 21, 1941)[1] better known as Plácido Domingo, is a world-renowned operatic tenor. ...

Dessay's next project was to have been "Sophie von Faninal" alongside Barbara Bonney in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier under Carlos Kleiber. Unfortunately, he died before the project came to fruition. Barbara Bonney (born April 14, 1956) is an American soprano opera singer. ... This article is about the German composer of tone-poems and operas. ... Der Rosenkavalier (The Cavalier of the Rose) is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. ... Carlos Kleiber (July 3, 1930 - July 13, 2004) was a German-born conductor. ...

"Blondchen" in Die Entführung and "Zerbinetta" in Ariadne auf Naxos became her best-known and most often played roles. Ariadne auf Naxos (Ariadne on Naxos) is an opera by Richard Strauss with libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. ...

In October 1994 Dessay made her Metropolitan Opera debut in New York in the role of "Fiakermilli" in Strauss' Arabella, and returned there in September 1997 as "Zerbinetta" and February 1998 as "Olympia". Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... This article is about the state. ... Arabella is an opera (lyric comedy in 3 acts) by Richard Strauss with libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal, their sixth and last common work. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

The Staatsoper approached Dessay with two operas: Richard Strauss' Die schweigsame Frau and an unfinished opera by Alban Berg, Lulu. Dessay declined the latter. This article is about the German composer of tone-poems and operas. ... Die schweigsame Frau (in English The Silent Woman) is an opera by Richard Strauss with libretto by Stefan Zweig after Ben Jonsons Epicoene, or the Silent Woman. ... Bust of Alban Berg at Schiefling, Carinthia, Austria Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9, 1885 – December 24, 1935) was an Austrian composer. ... Lulu is an opera by the composer Alban Berg. ...

At the festival of Aix-en-Provence, Dessay first performed the role of "Queen of the Night" in Mozart's The Magic Flute. Although she was hesitant to perform the role, saying that she didn't want to play any "evil" characters, director Robert Carsen convinced her that this Queen would be different -- almost a sister to Pamina. Dessay agreed to do the role, claiming it would be a one-time series of performances. There followed a years-long series of "final" performances of the "Queen of the Night". Aix (prounounced eks), or, to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, Aix-en-Provence is a city in southern France, some 30 km north of Marseille. ... Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 РDecember 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. ... Die Zauberfl̦te, K. 620, (en: The Magic Flute) is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. ...

The 21st century

During the 2001-2002 season in Vienna, she began to experience vocal difficulties and had to be replaced in almost all of the performances of La Sonnambula. Subsequently, she was forced to cancel several other performances, including a French version of "Lucia" in Lyons and a "Zerbinetta" at the Royal Opera House in London. She withdrew from the stage for almost two years and underwent surgery on one of her vocal chords. La sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) is an opera semiseria in two acts by Vincenzo Bellini to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on a vaudeville by Eugène Scribe. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ...

However, by February 2003, she made a triumphant return in a Paris concert and the following month saw her in great form as "Zerbinetta" at the Metropolitan Opera, a performance which has been filmed.

In the summer of 2003, Dessay gave a spectacular concert at the Santa Fe Opera. She was so attracted to New Mexico in general (and to Santa Fe, New Mexico in particular) that, when she was invited to return the following season in La Sonnambula^[1], general director Richard Gaddes re-arranged the 2004 summer festival program, and the opera was given. Her most recent performances over the summer 2006 season in Santa Fe have been in the role of "Pamina" in The Magic Flute. Solid rod stays support the roof of the Crosby Theater at the Santa Fe Opera. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Largest metro area Albuquerque metropolitan area Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Nickname: Location in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Coordinates: , Country State County Santa Fe Founded ca. ... Richard Gaddes (b. ... Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, (en: The Magic Flute) is an opera in two acts composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. ...

Another setback caused additional cancellations and further surgery, but by mid-2005 she was back on stage. However, this has resulted in some re-thinking of her roles, abandoning some and taking up new ones. These include Massenet's Manon, "Juliette" in Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the MET, Donizetti's "Lucia", and a first "Violetta" in La traviata. Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (May 12, 1842 - August 13, 1912) was a French composer. ... Manon is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost. ... Charles Gounod. ... Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet) is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on the play by Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. ... Categories: People stubs | 1797 births | 1848 deaths | Opera composers | Romantic composers | Italian composers | People born in Bergamo, Italy ... La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. ...

The 2006/2007 season schedule included Lucia di Lammermoor and La sonnambula in Paris, La fille du régiment in London and Vienna, plus a Laurent Pelly directed La fille du regiment at the Royal Opera House in London and a Manon in Barcelona. Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico, or opera, in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. ... La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment) is a comic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. ... Laurent Pelly (born 1962) is a French opera and theatre director. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ...

Future engagements

The Met has announced that she will sing "Lucia" at the Met's opening night in 2007 and repeat the La fille du regiment that season ^[2]. San Francisco Opera has announced her "Lucia" performances for June 2008.^[3], and there is speculation that she will sing in La Traviata in Santa Fe in 2009.^[4]. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The San Francisco War Memorial Opera House San Francisco Opera (SFO) is the second largest opera company in North America. ...

Recordings

• DVD: "The Miracle of the Voice - Greatest Moments on Stage"; available from November 2006.

• La Sonnambula (Bellini)
• Die Zauberflote (Mozart)
• Lucie de Lammermoor (Donizetti)
• Les Contes d'Hoffman (Offenbach)
• Mass in C Minor (Mozart)
• Lakme (Delibes)
• Mitridate (Mozart)
• Alcina (Handel)
• L'Orfeo (Monteverdi)

See also

• Patricia Petibon
• Mireille Delunsch
• Gaëlle Méchaly
• Sandrine Piau
• Véronique Gens
• Isabelle Poulenard
• Guillemette Laurens
• Noémi Rime
• Valérie Masquida

Patricia Petibon Patricia Petibon (b. ... Mireille Delunsch (born 1962 in Mulhouse) is a french opera singer (soprano). ... Gaëlle Méchaly (b. ... Sandrine Piau is a young French soprano, renowned for her interpretations of 17th and 18th century operatic roles. ... Véronique Gens is a highly respected French soprano. ... Isabelle Poulenard is French soprano. ... Guillemette Laurens (born Fontainebleau, France in 1950) is a French operatic mezzo-soprano. ... Noémi Rime is a French soprano. ... A French mezzo-soprano based in Strasbourg. ...

References

External links

• Dessay's Official website
• Natalie Dessay, unofficial website
• Virgin Classics short biography and discography
• Natalie Dessay at the Internet Movie Database