Natalie Dessay Masterclass
PROGRAM
Dennis Xu, baritone — student of Benjamin Liupaogo
Ernest Chausson – (1855 - 1899)
Le Colibri
Op. 2, No. 7 (1879-80)
Mack Smith, baritone — student of Kathryne Jennings
Gabriel Fauré (1845 - 1924)
En sourdine
Cinq Mélodies "de Venise" - Op. 58, No. 2 (1891)
Sarah Lewis, soprano — student of Ashraf Sewailam
Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848)
Chacun le sait, chacun le dit
La fille du régiment (1840)
Sophia Gever, soprano — student of Nova Jiménez
Pauline Viardot (1821 - 1910)
'Haï luli'
6 Mélodies et une havanaise, No. 4 (1880)
Steven Lightburn, pianist
Natalie Dessay
Since the beginning of her career, Natalie Dessay has sung on the greatest international stages. She has sung works by Mozart (Blondchen, Königin der Nacht, Pamina) and Strauss (Fiakermilli, Zerbinetta, Sophie...). Throughout her career, she has been a regular guest at the Vienna Staatsoper, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, La Scala in Milan, the Liceu in Barcelona, the Royal Opera House in London and, of course, the Opéra national de Paris. Natalie Dessay is also a great interpreter of the French repertoire: Ophelia, Minka, Lakmé, Olympia, Juliette, Manon. She has also enjoyed great success in the bel canto repertoire, in La Sonnambula and above all in Lucia di Lammermoor, a role she has sung at the Chicago Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and the Opéra national de Paris, and which she has recorded under the baton of Valery Gergiev. She also sang Marie (La Fille du Régiment), directed by Laurent Pelly, which was performed at Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper, the Metropolitan Opera and the Opéra national de Paris.
She has sung Violetta (La Traviata) in Tokyo, at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, at the Vienna Opera and at the Metropolitan Opera, always with immense success.
She reprised Marie (La Fille du Régiment) at the Opéra national de Paris, and the title role in Manon at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse.
After meeting Emmanuelle Haïm, Natalie Dessay began to interpret works by Handel, among others. She sang the role of Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare) at the Opéra national de Paris.
She works with Michel Legrand, with whom she has toured Europe and South America, and has recorded 2 CDs: ‘Entre elle et lui’ (Erato) and ‘Between yesterday and tomorrow’ (Sony). With Philippe Cassard, her recital pianist, she has given over 120 concerts since 2012 on the most prestigious stages: Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Barbican in London, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Musikverein in Vienna, Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, Théâtre des Champs Élysées in Paris, etc. Thanks to this collaboration, 3 CDs have been released: ‘Debussy’ (Erato), ‘Fiançailles pour rire’ (Erato) and ‘Schubert’ (Sony).
Natalie Dessay was appointed Kammersängerin by the Wiener Staatsoper.
For several years now, Natalie Dessay has also been performing in the theatre. She made her highly acclaimed debut in Howard Baker's monologue Und at the Théâtre Olympia in Tours, then in a number of French towns, as well as at the Théâtre des Abbesses and the Dejazet in Paris. In July 2018 she was at the Festivald'Avignon, performing La Légende d'une vie by Stefan Zweig at the Théâtre Montparnasse.
Sophia Gever (she/her) is a pre-med senior studying psychology with a minor in biology. She has been singing since childhood and discovered her passion for opera in 8th grade at a local opera house. Sophia is in her fourth year of study with Nova Jiménez and is thrilled to carry her love of music throughout her time at Stanford.
Sarah Lewis (she/her), a soprano from West Hartford, Connecticut, is a Master’s student in English and a 2024 graduate in English and Music. She currently studies with Ashraf Sewailam and won first place in the 2022 NATS SF Bay Area Classical Singing Competition (lower college division). Sarah has performed with the National Theatre School of Ireland and has appeared in campus productions including Into the Woods (Cinderella), Sweeney Todd (Mrs. Lovett), Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins), and Die Fledermaus (Prince Orlofsky).
Mack Smith (he/him), baritone, is a senior from the Chicagoland area studying data science and music at Stanford University. He studies voice with Kathryne Jennings and has been recognized as a finalist for the Stanford Music Departmental Awards and a recipient of the Kathryn Harvey Collegiate Award at SFBAC NATS. This year, Mack is preparing for his senior recital in Spring 2025 and performing in his first musical as Cinderella’s Prince in Into the Woods at Stanford.
Dennis Xu (he/him) is a sophomore from Houston, Texas double majoring in CS and Music. He has won 1st place in the lower college SFBAC NATS in 2024, 2nd place in the Upper HS TBB in NATS National Student Auditions in 2022, 1st place in NATS TEXOMA HS audition in 2021, 1st place in the Greater Houston NATS HS auditions in 2021 and 2022 and is a three-year Texas All-State Mixed Choir member. He was invited to perform a solo at Carnegie Hall in June 2022 as a winner of the American Protégé competition in 2020.
Pianist Steven Lightburn received a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of California, Los Angeles; advanced study at Durham University, England; and a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California. He is highly regarded as a solo artist, collaborative pianist, teacher, competitive judge, and music director. He has been on the staff of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Sacred Heart Preparatory School. Steve maintains an active teaching studio and has been accompanying instrumentalists and singers at Stanford University for thirty years.