Dialogues des Carmélites by Francis Poulenc

Patrice Caurier was born in Paris and Moshe Leiser in Antwerp. They decided to work together in 1982. Their first work was on Benjamin Britten’s opera A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Opéra de Lyon. Since then, they have staged some 100 productions in theaters around the world, winning international acclaim and recognition. Recently, their productions have been staged at the Grand Théâtre de Genève (the Ring), Opéra de Lausanne (Shostakovich’s The Nose), Covent Garden (La Cenerentola), Théâtre du Châtelet (Eugène Onegin), Chicago Lyric Opera (Lucia di Lammermoor), Liceo Barcelona (Hamlet), as well as in Salzburg and Monaco.

Martin Surot trained as a pianist with Jean-François Heisser, Marie-Josèphe Jude and Jacques Rouvier at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, then in Berlin, before receiving invaluable advice from Ruben Lifschitz for Lied and Mélodie at the Abbaye de Royaumont. Also at Royaumont, he takes part in a training program based on Janáček’s opera Katia Kabanova. The show is awarded the “Grand Prix du syndicat de la Critique”, after a series of performances at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris, then on international tour. He is twice awarded a prize by the Académie Internationale Maurice Ravel. He is noted for his “fine, delicate and colorful playing” (Le Monde de la Musique). He also teaches at the CNSM.

French pianist Jean-Paul Pruna is principal conductor of the Grand Théâtre de Genève. He was previously a Young Artist at London’s Royal Opera House, before being engaged as pianist for four seasons at Berlin’s Deutsche Oper. He trained at the Conservatoire de Paris and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Passionate about teaching, Jean-Paul is a regular guest vocal coach at the Royal Opera House’s Opera Studio, the Formation Royaumont, the Academy of French Song and Opera, the Cape Town Opera Studio and Newcastle’s Samling Academy. More recently, Jean-Paul stepped in at short notice to replace the OSR for two performances of Les Pêcheurs de Perles at Geneva’s Grand Théâtre, a performance acclaimed by audiences and critics alike.

version n°1 dated 09/28/2024
Validity of version n°1: 1 year renewable

Course description/content of the training

Prior to training	> Video-conference meetings between training participants. > Videoconference meetings between training participants. > Personal self-study work prior to the course: analysis and work on the works in the syllabus for interpreters.	> A group meeting with the beneficiaries, some of the instructors and the training manager. > Several group meetings between beneficiaries and practitioners.
Week 1 15 > 20/07	July 15 – welcoming the beneficiaries > Presentation of beneficiaries, contributors, referents (educational, administrative, logistical) > Site presentation > Course outline > Reminder of target skills and operational objectives July 16 to 20 – Act 1 rehearsals > Morning: Musical work > Afternoon: Stage work	> Face-to-face meeting with all training beneficiaries. > Group meeting with beneficiaries, instructors and training manager. > Sessions led by the speakers
Week 2 22 > 27/07	July 22 and 27 – Act II rehearsals > Morning: Musical work > Afternoon: Scenic work	> With participants, beneficiaries > With the training manager
Week 3 29/07 > 3/08	July 29 to August 3 – Act III rehearsals > Morning: Musical work > Afternoon: Scenic work August 2 – Fenêtre sur cour[s] (Window on the courtyard)	> With stakeholders and beneficiaries. > With the training manager.

Number of traines minimum / maximum

Minimum number of artists: 8
Maximum number of artists: 9

Educational objectives

Knowledge

• Analyze a work (form, rhythm, harmony…)
• Acquire the technical tools needed to interpret a repertoire, and know when and how to use them.
• Understand a spoken or sung text in its literal meaning as well as its subtext
• Integrate the pronunciation of sung and spoken texts in one’s mother tongue as well as in foreign languages
• Defining the dramaturgical content of a work
• Memorize musical works to detach oneself from the score
• Identify the specific characteristics of the professional network in which the beneficiary wishes to pursue a career

Expertise

• Efficiently repeat a program in a limited amount of time
• Findyour musical and human place in a band
• Acquire and put into practice the technical tools needed to interpret a repertoire
• Work and search in the music library: find a specific work or search for lesser-known works to perform, identify an edition and its relevance to a composer’s work.
• Take into account information provided by a musicologist specializing in a given repertoire to fine-tune your interpretation of a work.
• Define one’s own interpretation of a work, based on advice from supervisors
• Affirm your career plan by defining the various stages and a development strategy
• Publicize your work to the public, the press and professionals

soft skills

• Hearing and understanding managers’ requests and musical suggestions
• Clearly express and justify musical and scenic intentions
• Communicating with kindness to the artists with whom we play the difficulties we may encounter in our relationships.
• Share your interpretation with an audience during the final performance
• Exchange musical, dramaturgical and choreographic ideas with artists with whom you perform, and define a common discourse.
• Adapt to the demands of a repertoire (pronunciation, musicality of a language, acting…)
• Benefit from the learning of other training participants
• Identify all the people present at the training session and their roles: supervising artists, artistic director, administrator, production manager, receptionist…
• Identify the various contacts in a professional sector and know how to approach them to develop your artistic projects.

Target skills

At the end of the training the beneficiary will be able to :

• Perform Francis Poulenc’s opera “Dialogues des Carmélites
• Explore the specifics of stage work with directors Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser
• Work on the particularities of Poulenc’s music with Martin Surot
• Confronting theater in Poulenc’s music
• Learn how to place the singer on stage
• Preparing for opera productions in a professional context
• Participate in new ways of relating and dialoguing with singers/performers/performers
• Activate ways of meeting the public and mediating a work of art
• Be both autonomous and responsible in your work. Curious and generous towards others, so as to get involved in a collective project.

Methods used

Teaching aids :

Individual and group lessons, given face-to-face.
Lessons are given in French.
A public presentation at the end of the course, in the form of a masterclass, a presentation of the entire body of work interpreted or other…
It brings together all the beneficiaries and does not give rise to remuneration.

Technical resources available :

The rooms are spacious, equipped with music stands (solid or folding), chairs or stools suitable for musicians (without armrests) and the instruments required for training.
Beneficiaries bring their own instruments and sheet music, which is not provided.
Outside lesson times, rehearsal spaces can be made available free of charge, on request and subject to availability.
The abbey monument in its entirety (rooms and gardens)
Documentation via private drive.

Monitoring and evaluation methods

During the course, face-to-face

• Evaluation of the beneficiary’s responsiveness and ability to integrate the suggestions made by the trainers, through practical work.
• During the performance at the end of the training course: interpretation of the work in front of an audience, to assess the development of the interpretation and the ability of the participant to present his or her work in a show.

The beneficiaries sign a sign-in sheet for each half-day.

At the end of training

A certificate stating the objectives, nature and duration of the course, and the results of the training assessment, is given to the beneficiary, along with the certificate where applicable.

Qualitative assessment methods

The beneficiary fills in a qualitative evaluation form to assess the artistic, pedagogical, human and material aspects of the training.
A post-training follow-up is established, for which beneficiaries are asked to inform us within six months of the end of the training of any contracts they have obtained.

Accessibility and consideration of disability situations

The Royaumont Foundation has made the acceptance and participation of people with disabilities a strong commitment to its project. Our training courses are open to people with disabilities and different arrangements can be made according to the specificities of each course. To discuss your needs, please contact us when you register, or get in touch with our disability advisors.

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