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The French bass-baritone Jacques Villisech, was engaged at age 20 by Jean-Louis Barrault, abd participated in several productions as an actor and singer in his company. He enrolled at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSM) in Paris, where he received the First Prize of the Opera, and the Premier Prix du Chant, the latter unanimously. After several courses at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the Academy Chigiana in Siena, he won a prize at the International Competition in Munich.
Jacques Villisech toured Europe as a singer of oratorio, lieder and melodies and sang for the French and foreign radio stations in Paris, Hamburg, Berlin, Amsterdam, Stuttgart, Stockholm and Dublin. He recorded with Günther Arndt, Jürgen Jürgens, Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and others (Johannes-Passion (BWV 245) by J.S. Bach, Orfeo by C. Monteverdi, Castor et Pollux by J.P. Rameau, etc.). Five of these recordings won Grand Prix.
The operatic repertoire of Jacques Villisech included numerous basso-serio and basso-buffo roles (Don Quichotte by J. Massenet, Don Basile in Il barbiere di Siviglia by G. Rossini, Géronimo in Il Matrimonio Segreto (The Secret Marriage) by D. Cimarosa, Prince Gremin in Eugene Onegin by P. Tchaikovski, etc). He also appeared on stage as in Il Signor Bruschino by Rossini, Livietta e Tracollo by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Le Docteur Miracle by Georges Bizet, and Le Silence de la Mer by Henri Tomasi.
Holder of Certificate in the Teaching of Singing and Certificate of Aptitude for Teaching Art Lyrique, Jacques Villisech is Professor at the Conservatoire National de Région de Versailles. He created the Vocal Quartet of Versailles.
Jacques Villisech is also a writer. His book Trop c'est trop (Enough is enough), which won Prix "Fureur de Lire” in 1990, was the subject of a short film film L'Enfer du bibliophile. He also wrote a comedy Confit de générations and is working on a comedy-drama Docteur Swift et Mister Gulliver. He also adapted for the stage a story by John Steinbeck The moonless nights and prepares a script for a feature film and several opera librettos. |
