Winners of Le Jardin des Voix 2015
Lucía Martín-Cartón, soprano (Spain)
Born in Valladolid, she obtained the singing degree in the Conservatory of Valencia with Patricia Llorens, Ana Luisa Chova, Carles Budó and Husan Park. She also received vocal lessons by Pilar Moral. She has the “Máster en la Interpretación de la Música Antigua” in the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (Barcelona). She takes master classes with Richard Levitt, Lambert Climent, Eduardo López Banzo or Arthur Shoonderwoerd...
She has performed in the “Palau de la Música de Valencia”, “Teatro Calderón de Valladolid”, “Festival Internacional de Música Antigua de Peñíscola”, “Museu de la Música de Barcelona”, “Kulturkirche St.Stephani” of Bremen,”Reial Monestir de Pedralbes” of Barcelona, among others. Likewise she works with many Early Music ensembles giving many concerts with programs of the Spanish and Spanish-American Renaissance and Baroque, and she has recorded several CDs, among which one that stands out, is the whole work of Cabanilles with Brilliant label. It should be pointed out her participation in the “III Academia de Formación Profesional, Investigación e Interpretación” belonging of the Fundación CIMA conducted by Jordi Savall and performing at the Auditori de Barcelona and the Chateau de Versailles.
In opera’s repertoire she had performed the role of Amore in Orfeo et Euridice by Gluck, Pamina’s role in Die Zauberflöte by Mozart and Venus’s role in Venus and Adonis by Blow.
Soon she will perform Spanish Renaissance with Laberintos Ingeniosos conducted by Xavier Díaz-Latorre, Bach’s Magnificat in D major and Schubert’s Mass n.2 in G major by Schubert in Bremen, and Misaele’s role in Nabucco by Falvetti with Capella Mediterranea conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón, in Brussels and Versailles.
Lea Desandre, mezzo-soprano (France)
21 year-old mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre began singing in the children’s choir of The National Opera of Paris, continuing her studies at the CRR de Boulogne and the Venice Conservatory “Benedetto Marcello”. She is a student of Sara Mingardo since 2013 and regulary coaches with Vivica Genaux.
In 2013, Lea won by unanimous vote the first prize "Young Hope" of Opéra de Bordeaux.
She has participated in Voices Programs at the Fondation Royaumont with Raphaël Pichon, Fabio Bonizzoni, Ivan Alexander, Sebastian Daucé ; master classes with Christine Schweitzer, Monica Bacelli, Romina Basso, Roberta Invernizzi ; and integrated the Opera Fuoco’s Program.
She has performed the role of Juliette and Rowan (Le Petit Ramoneur- Britten) at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and Théâtre du Chatelet, Abra (Juditha Triumphans- Vivaldi), 2nd Lady (Dido and Aeneas- Purcell) at the Invalides-Paris, Cleofe (La Resurrezione- Handel) with Fabio Bonizzoni and his La Risonanza ensemble, the Squirrel (L’Enfant et les Sortilèges- Ravel) at the Edinburgh Festival and Dorabella (Cosi Fanciulli- Bacri) at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées conducted by David Stern.
She takes part of the Venice Voices project: CD and concerts of duets with Sara Mingardo. Lea Desandre makes here Chinese début in the rôle as Sesto in Händel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto and as the Second witch in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with David Stern and his Opera Fuoco ensemble for the first Shanghai International Baroque Festival. She sang in Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Opera de Lille with Emmanuelle Häim and her Concert d’Astrée ensemble in January 2015.
Future projects include Handel’s Academy in Aix en Provence with Emmanuelle Häim and Sarah Connolly, and Ruggiero in Alcina (Handel) in Shanghai in December 2015.
Carlo Vistoli, countertenor (Italia)
Born in 1987 in Lugo (Italy), Carlo Vistoli began studying piano and classical guitar before starting singing. While studying Musicology at the University of Bologna he also studied baroque singing performance practice. He attended baroque style masterclasses with Monica Bacelli, Romina Basso, Marijana Mijanović and Sara Mingardo.
Finalist of the 2012 International Singing Competition «Pietro Antonio Cesti» in Innsbruck and the 2013 «Sacred Music» Competition in Rome, he was awarded the First Prize at the 2012 «Cleto Tomba» Competition in Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna), the Audience Prize and “Farinelli” Prize at the 2012 «Città di Bologna» Competition in Bologna, and the Second Prize at the 2013 «Francesco Provenzale» Baroque Singing Competition in Naples, as well as the First Prize at the 2013 «Renata Tebaldi» Competition (Baroque section) in San Marino.
He has been singing with baroque ensembles such as Cappella Musicale di San Giacomo Maggiore di Bologna (Roberto Cascio); Ensemble Les Nations (Maria Luisa Baldassari); Ensemble Sans Souci Giuseppe Nalin); Ensemble Sezione Aurea (Luca Giardini); Les Ambassadeurs (Alexis Kossenko); Les Caractères (Éliane Lavail; Xavier Julien-Laferrière); New Trinity Baroque Ensemble (Predrag Gosta); Opera Fuoco (David Stern); Talenti Vulcanici of the Centre of Ancient Music «Pietà de' Turchini» of Naples (Stefano Demicheli).
In October 2012, he made his operatic debut as Sorceress in Henry Purcell's Dido & Aeneas in Cesena (Ravenna). In November 2012, he sang the role of Licida in Josef Mysliveček's L'Olimpiade at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by Oliver von Dohnányi. In June 2014 he sang the role of Ottone in Claudio Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea at the New Belgrade Opera, conducted by Predrag Gosta. In November 2014, he sang the title role in a concert version of Handel's Tamerlano in Poznań (Poland), conducted by Alexis Kossenko. In December 2014, he took part, as Tolomeo, in a concert version of Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto in Shanghai, conducted by David Stern.
Nicholas Scott, tenor (United Kingdom)
Nicholas was awarded a Sir Elton John Scholarship and ABRSM Scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music, from where he graduated as an undergraduate and Postgraduate, studying with Mark Wildman.
Whilst at the RAM Nicholas enjoyed a busy solo career on the concert platform of which highlights include: the leading role in New Chamber Opera’s production of Arne’s The Judgement of Paris; Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with the St Cecilia Orchestra in Ripon; and Bach’s Cantata BWV 61 in Canterbury Cathedral. Nicholas also regularly performed as the tenor soloist in the Royal Academy of Music / Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series. He has performed Haydn’s Creation in Guildford Cathedral and Haydn’s Missa Cellensis and Handel’s Foundling Hospital Anthem at Lichfield Cathedral. Nick has performed in The Victoria International Music Festival in Malta with The Maltese Philharmonic Orchestra and sung has Mozart Requiem in St Martin in the Fields with the Brandenburg Sinfonia.
Nicholas’ operatic roles include: Castor, in Rameau’s Castor et Pollux with the Yorke Trust, and as the eponymous The Wandering Scholar by Holst and Don Basilio in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Lurcanio in Handel’s Ariodante under Jane Glover and the cover roles of Un suivant d’amour and Premier Parque in Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s production of Rameau’s Hippolyte et Aricie under William Christie.
Other notable performances include Messiah at the Linder Auditorium, Johannesburg with the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra under Richard Cock, BWV 61 and BWV 128 under Masaaki Suzuki. Nicholas has recently recorded the roles of St Pierre in Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Le reniement de St. Pierre and the role of Issac in Le sacrifice d’Abraham for La Nuova Musica and Harmonia Mundi USA.
Forthcoming concerts include Bach’s B Minor Mass for Merton College Oxford, Purcell’s Ode to St Cecilias with La Nuova Musica and Monteverdi’s Vespers 1610 at Ely Cathedral
Renato Dolcini, baritone (Italia)
Born in Milano in 1985, since an early age he developed an interest in music that has led him to pursue vocal training under M° Vincenzo Manno (Accademia del Teatro alla Scala and Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado) and studies in Musicology at Pavia University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 2012. He was admitted twice to the Gstaad Vocal Academy (2009, 2010) where he had the opportunity to specialize with Cecilia Bartoli. Since 2010 he has also collaborated and explored Baroque repertoire with soprano Roberta Invernizzi.
He exhibits himself both in operas and in recitals: he has sung Conte Robinson in Cimarosa’s “Il matrimonio segreto” (Teatro Bibiena, Mantova), Death in Holst’s Savitri (Teatro Dal Verme, Milano), Figaro in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Teatro Ruggeri, Guastalla) and Don Alfonso in Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Opera de Tenerife, Spain). He has also performed Vivaldi and Handel cantatas at BaRoMus Festival in Rovinj, Les nuits d’été at Palazzo Marino (Milano), Lieder at Festival Mozart Rovereto with cembalist Francesco Corti, Bach’s Weihnachts-Oratorium and Kantate 140 with Ensemble Magnificat.
He regularly joins ensembles such as “Il Canto d’Orfeo” conducted by Gianluca Capuano, with whom he has interpreted the baroque as well as contemporary repertoire, and Giulio Prandi’s “Ghislieri Choir & Consort”. Among recent engagements, he performed the multiple roles of Borea/Alcione/Niconida/Argeo in Cavalli’s Eritrea (Teatro LaFenice, Venezia) under the musical direction of Stefano Montanari, receiving praise for his “important voice, dominated with great control” (Italian magazine “Musica”) and as “a beautiful surprise for his melodious dark voice” (Forumopera) and “a resource to take note of […] for gratifying mastery of interpretative skills” (Il Corriere musicale).
His discography includes a disc of chamber duets by Agostino Steffani recorded with Roberto Balconi and Ensemble Fantazyas (ALM Records) and the eponymous role in San Giovanni Crisostomo by Alessandro Stradella, recorded live with Claudio Astronio and Harmonices Mundi (to be released for Brillants Classics).
John Taylor Ward, bass (United-States)
Praised by the New York Times for his “impressive clarity and color” and “velvety suaveness,” John Taylor Ward’s musical life fuses performance, scholarship, and entrepreneurship in his "intense, sincere" presentations (New Haven Register). The 2013 season included Taylor’s solo debuts at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Carmel Bach Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Boston Early Music Festival, and with Bach Collegium Japan and Collegium Vocale Ghent. Most recently, Taylor premiered the roles of Ulysses and Proteus in a new opera, Orfeo Chaman, created for the Teatro Mayor of Bogota, Colombia and the ensemble, L’Arpeggiata, and his performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass was hailed by the Washington Post for its “finely calibrated precision and heart rending expressivity.”
A noted practitioner of baroque and folk musics, Taylor also brings his skills as a “sonorous, smooth vocalist [with] fine verbal shading” (Opera News) to collaborations with contemporary composers and artists, such as Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw, and the Grammy-winning ensemble, Roomful of Teeth.
Taylor is the co-founder and associate artistic director of the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, and he also serves as a performer, administrator, and core founding member of two New York-based ensembles: The Academy of Sacred Drama and Cantata Profana. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master’s of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music, where his musicological research focused on the performance practice of shape-note music and American folk-hymnody.
