Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell

* 2015-2018: organist in residence

Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas studied organ, harpsichord, chamber music and conducting at the Lyon and Paris Conservatoires. His teachers included Louis Robilliard, Jan-Willem Jansen, Michel Bourcier, Nicolas Brochot, François Espinasse, Yves Rechsteiner, Olivier Baumont, Blandine Rannou…

As a soloist, he recorded “Bach and Friends” on organ and harpsichord (Ambronay Editions label), and “Visages impressionnistes” on the LigiaDigital label, which was awarded a Choc de Classica. 2019 sees the release of his album “Soleils Couchants” on the Harmonia Mundi label, recorded on the Cavaillé-Coll organ at Royaumont.

He directs the ensemble Les Surprises, specializing in the vocal and instrumental repertoire of the ^17th and ^18th centuries. Les Surprises’ work is rooted in musicological and historical research, and Louis-Noël is committed to rediscovering and showcasing scores that have never left the musical collections of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France since the ^18th century (such as Destouches’ Issé and Les Éléments ).

les-surprises.fr

* previous collaborations with Royaumont

Pierre Lebon made his stage debut at the age of eight, performing solo roles at the Paris Opera and on international stages. He is a graduate of the École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon and the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg. He has assisted numerous directors and set designers (Rodolfo Natale, Jean Guy Lecat, Pierre-André Weitz, Olivier Py…) in the United States, Europe and on many French national stages. He directed Le docteur Miracle by Lecocq, produced by the Palazzetto de Bru Zane at the Tours opera, for which he also designed the sets and costumes. He staged Médée et Jason at the Radio France festival in Montpellier, and at the Limoges opera with the baroque ensemble Les Surprises, for which he also designed the sets and costumes. He designed the sets for the Molière trilogy for the Nouveau Théâtre Populaire at the Festival d’Avignon 2021. He sings in L’Amour vainqueur, a sung play written and directed by Olivier Py, premiering at the 2019 Avignon Festival and touring internationally for several years.

version n°1 dated 27/09/2024
Validity of version n°1: 1 year renewable

Course description/content of the training

Prior to training	> Clermont Auvergne Opéra competition > Videoconference meeting between course participants. > Personal self-study prior to the course: analysis and work on the works in the course program for performers.	> A group meeting with the beneficiaries, some of the instructors and the training manager. > Several group meetings between beneficiaries and practitioners.
Week 1	July 15 – Reception of beneficiaries > Presentation of beneficiaries, contributors, referents (educational, administrative, logistical) > Site presentation > Course outline > Reminder of target skills and operational objectives July 16-20 – rehearsals > Reading of the collective work > Individual and ensemble vocal work > Scenic work, theater	> Face-to-face meeting with all training beneficiaries. > Group meeting with beneficiaries, instructors and training manager. > Sessions led by the speakers
Week 2	July 22 and 23 > Dance workshop July 24 and 25 > morning: dance in the morning > afternoon: work with the coach in English July 26 and 27 > Mediation sessions	> With participants, beneficiaries > With the training manager
Week 3	July 29 and 30 > Music and theater and English coach (individual work) July 31 to August 3 > Musical and theatrical work with the instrumental team August 3 – 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: 7
Maximum number of artists: 8

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.
• Shareyour interpretation with an audience during the final performance
• Exchangemusical, 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 Henry Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas
• Explore the specifics of stage work with director Pierre Lebon and choreographer Iris Florentini
• Working on the particularities of Purcell’s music with Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas
• Confronting theater in Purcell’s music
• Learn how to place the singer on stage
• Preparing for opera productions in a professional context

Methods used

Teaching aids :

Individual and group courses, given face-to-face.
Courses are given in English or French.
Several public presentations at the end of the training course, in the form of a masterclass, a presentation of the entire body of work performed or other…
These are attended by all beneficiaries and do 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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