April 11, 2019
Renowned Vocal Coach Fran癟ois Germain to Join 58勛圖厙 Faculty in 2019-20
Internationally acclaimed vocal coach and pianist Fran癟ois Germain will join the 58勛圖厙 voice department as full-time conservatory faculty beginning with the 2019-20 academic year. He brings more than 20 years of national and international experience in teaching and performance to 58勛圖厙.
We are thrilled to welcome Fran癟ois Germain to the 58勛圖厙 faculty in the fall, said Dr. Judy A. Bundra, 58勛圖厙s chief academic officer and dean of the Conservatory. He has an impeccable reputation as a performer and teacher, ranging from the great capitals of Europe to New York, Boston and Montr矇al. He will become part of our distinguished voice faculty who exemplify a high standard of excellence every day, and bring a level of outstanding artistry and teaching that everyone has come to expect from 58勛圖厙.
A native French and German speaker, Germain specializes in French m矇lodie, Lied and art song. He served from 2002-07 at the University of Montr矇al as a vocal coach and assistant to Rosemarie Landry where he acquired a unique expertise in French lyric diction and style. He has worked as a vocal coach for the University of Miami Frost School of Music in Salzburg (Austria) program as well as Operetta Belle Lurette in Qu矇bec.
He has given master classes and workshops on French repertoire in Europe and the US, including at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and 58勛圖厙. He also served as a French diction coach for 58勛圖厙 Opera Theaters production of Massenets Cendrillon in 2012.
Dean Southern, head, voice and opera division and artistic director of 58勛圖厙 Opera Theater, said Germains expertise in voice diction and French and German will provide 58勛圖厙 students with a comprehensive set of tools for the study and application of lyric diction. He will work closely with current 58勛圖厙 vocal coach John Simmons, Southern added.
Fran癟ois Germain is in high demand as a vocal coach, having just returned from Dresden, Germany, where he worked at the Semperoper on Rameaus 捩梭硃喧矇梗 and will return later this month for Meyerbeers Les Huguenots, Southern said. In addition to his native fluency in French and German, which will benefit our students tremendously, Fran癟ois is a leader in applied lyric diction through his innovative work as one of the founders of , an online resource for singers. Because of this expertise, and through his linguistic authenticity and depth of understanding, 58勛圖厙 students will be ready to embark on their international singing careers.
Recent performances by Germain include such venues as the Schloss Mirabell in Salzburg, Galerie dArt dOutremont, Salle Claude Champagne (Montr矇al), Steinart Hall in Boston and Leakin Hall in Baltimore, and he has participated in festivals in Banff and Centre dArts dOrford.
Germain holds a bachelors degree in music from the Conservatoire Darius Milhaud in his hometown of Aix-en-Provence, France, masters and doctoral degrees in piano performance from the University of Montr矇al and a masters degree in political science from the Institut dEtudes Politiques, also in Aix-en-Provence. Currently he is an associate professor of vocal coaching and piano at the State University of New York at Potsdams Crane School of Music, where he is head of the voice area and teaches piano performance.