Julien Behr

Biography

Julien Behr, awarded "singers' revelation of the year" by the French musicians' association ADAMI in 2009, was born in Lyon in 1982. He entered the Boys Choir of the Lyon Cathedral when he was six. He graduated from Lyon University with a degree in business law. He however abandoned his plans to become a lawyer in order to devote himself to music. He entered the singing class of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Lyon in 2005.

His passion for theatre - he has played theatre since his early childhood - logically lead him to the opera. 2009 was highlighted by his debut at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence in Offenbach's Orphée aux Enfers and at the Bremen Festival in Idomeneo with Les Musiciens du Louvre under the baton of Marc Minkowski. His plans for 2009/10 include Cosi fan tutte (Ferrando) on tour throughout France, Weber's Abu Hassan (title role) at the Besançon Opera, Idomeneo (Arbace) at the Mozartwoche Salzburg and in Lyon and Grenoble with Les Musiciens du Louvre under the baton of Marc Minkowski. Further plans include Orphée aux Enfers in Toulon, Dijon, Aix-en-Provence, Die Zauberflöte (Tamino) at the Rouen Opera and at the St Gallen Opera as well as Aci&Galatea at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence.

In concert he has recently performed Handel's Samson (title role) with Les Arts florissants, Handel's Messiah with the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, Dvorak's Stabat Mater with the Solistes de Lyon Bernard Tétu, Berlioz Les Nuits d'été under the baton of Peter Csaba, Stravinski's Pulcinella with Les Musiciens du Louvre and with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. Further concert plans include among others Mozart's c-minor Mass at the Salzburg Festival with the Mozarteum Orchestra under the baton of Jérémie Rhorer and Berlioz arias with the Orchestre national de Lille under Jean-Claude Casadesus.

June 2010