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The French soprano, Kareen Durand, obtained the 1st prize of bassoon, chamber music and music education at the Conservatories of Metz and Nancy before starting to study singing. Soon, she was accepted in major French institutions including the Conservatoire Supérieur - CNR de Paris and the Centre de Formation Lyrique de l’Opéra National de Paris (2001-2004).
Kareen Durand began her career as Polymnie in les Boréades at the Opéra Garnier under the direction of William Christie, the roles of Constance in Die Entführung aus dem Serail by W.A. Mozart and Ms. Silberklang in Der Schauspieldirektor by W.A. Mozart.
Meanwhile, Kareen Durand gave many concerts with instrumental ensemble L'Astree, which the press frequently welcomed its originality historical rediscoveries (Mathilde de Guise by Hummel, Les Derniers Jours by Pompéï de Joncières, Polyeucte by Charles Gounod…). This curiosity for the forgotten repertoire has grown naturally to study early music with specialists such as Michel Laplénie or Kenneth Weiss at the Conservatoire de Paris. As such she gave many concerts of French cantatas (resurrected for the occasion the works of Colin de Blamont or of Le Maire) and gave in 2001-2002 Vespro della Beata Vergine by Monteverdi. She was also a soloist in various sacred music productions (Jean Gilles' Requiem, George Frideric Handel's Messiah, W.A. Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Creation ...), especially with the choir and the orchestra of the Palais-Royal and Le Parnasse Français.
Kareen Durand has in her repertoire roles as diverse as Suzanne in Le nozze di Figaro by W.A. Mozart, Lucy in Le Téléphone by Menotti, Constance in La Poule noire by Rosenthal, Gabrielle in La Vie parisienne by Offenbach, Ernestine in Monsieur Choufleuri by Offenbach, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi by Puccini and Vagaus in Juditha triumphans by Antonio Vivaldi. Since her admission to the Centre de Formation Lyrique de l’Opéra de Paris, in September 2001, she addressed also Manon by Massenet, Lucietta in Les Quatre Rustres by Wolf-Ferrari, Clairette in La Fille de Madame Angot by Lecocq, Marie in La Fille du Régiment by Donizetti, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette by C. Gounod.
In concert, Kareen Durand has worked with such renowned conductors as Jean-Claude Malgoire, Herve Niquet, Martin Gester, A. van Beek ... and has performed throughout Europe.
Finalist in several national and international competitions, Kareen Durand is four times winner at the Concours 2000 de l’Union Professionnelle des Maîtres du Chant Français (chaired by Françoise Pollet) and received a scholarship from the Mécénat culturel des Saints Anges (under the patronage of William Christie, Eve Ruggieri and et Mme la Comtesse de Paris). In 2004, she won two awards at the international competition in Clermont-Ferrand, a special jury prize in the competition of Marmande and is retained as a semifinalist in the International Competition Queen Elizabeth. |
