ACADÉMIE — 25 ARTISTS' PORTRAITS

In honour of the 25th anniversary of the Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, artists recount their time at the Académie. Whether they participated in a vocal residency; a chamber music residency; or a residency focused on reflection, experimentation and creation, each artist looks back at the influence the Académie has had on their artistic life and the opportunities it has opened up for them in their subsequent career.

Christina Athinodorou

Composer

My connection with the Festival d’Aix began with the performance of my symphonic music by the Youth Mediterranean Orchestra back in 2017. This connection was then reinforced through my invitation to join the Académie and its Women Opera Makers Workshop, led by Katie Mitchell. Ever since, I have been engaging artistically not only with Aix but with other ENOA institutions too: La Monnaie/De Munt for instance supported and enhanced my creative project, a vocal drama that brings together the symphony orchestra, a solo singer and young voices. This year, I am delighted to return to Aix and to the main programme, with a new work for a particular, unusual and exciting combination of instruments and voices, commissioned by the Festival. This had been an excellent opportunity to work closely with wonderful colleagues, but also, to delve deeper into the concept of the drame vocal, exploring it this time in a chamber ensemble setting. 

Paul-Antoine Benos-Djian

Opera singer

It’s difficult for me to pick just one memory among the myriad wonderful moments I’ve experienced at the Festival d’Aix since I participated in the Académie in 2017. If I had to choose one, it would perhaps be my experience during my first stage production at the Festival, playing the role of Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea in 2022, in the intimate atmosphere of the Théâtre du Jeu de Paume. It was an exceptional two-month parenthesis, a timeless journey, and an unforgettable collective adventure, in which all the singers forged genuine friendships that continue to this day. Ted Huffman’s incredibly powerful and poetic staging, based on a group spirit, and the almost animalistic approach to Monteverdi’s music that Leonardo García Alarcón strived to convey to each of us, undoubtedly contributed to the overall experience. It’s an adventure I will never forget.

Layale Chaker

Composer, violinist, musician

This week spent at the workshop opened my eyes on the universality of the problems I have been dealing with in my own work - behind closed doors, after a tour, after a premiere, after a workshop. I now realize there is a way to name and describe them, and ways to address them and tame them. It was equally humbling and heartening to hear the testimonies of so many of my peers, and how much our experiences align and have scarred us just the same. I also now realize that strength lies in numbers and in the sharing and crossing of our experiences. The timing of this workshop could not come any better, at this pivotal point in my career and in my life; as I approach the big milestone that is my debut opera, I feel better equipped, and much better prepared on all fronts. I'm extremely grateful for the friendships made in this context of vulnerability and openness, and that I know will last for a long time. I'm grateful to have met Katie, an artist I have admired from afar for a long time, for her work, convictions and commitment - It is extremely empowering to get to work up close with her. And for all the connections throughout the week, some that have already sparked conversations about collaborations and that have been going on ever since, including invitations for concerts and possibilities of coproductions and productions.

Penda Diouf

Author, stage director, actress

My participation in the 2021 Women Opera Makers Workshop, mentored by Katie Mitchell, was a highlight of my time at the Académie. Engaging in open dialogues with other women from different parts of the world, building trust, sharing techniques, discussing the challenges we face, and envisioning our professional futures was a true catalyst. Since then, I have co-written my first librettos as part of the Opera de-ci de-là initiative, taken the leap into stage directing, and remained in touch with other participants with whom I am cultivating joint projects in the field of opera.

Marie-Laure Garnier & Célia Oneta Bensaid

Vocal and piano duo

Our first visit to this legendary festival in 2018 greatly inspired us, elevated our standards, and heightened our aspirations, thanks in particular to baritone Stéphane Degout and pianist Alain Planès. Having the opportunity to develop the chamber music aspect of our singing with piano in this context allowed us to identify our uniqueness, all in the presence of the greatest artists. We retain an especially unforgettable memory of our collaborative work with composer Kaija Saariaho on her Quatre instants.

Julie Hega

Poet and singer

The Académie allowed me to explore, in a sensitive environment, the multiple meanings encompassed by the word “opera”. Thanks to this space for research and inspiration, I have delved into my desire to create new forms, especially through encounters with other artists. Amy Crankshaw and Lili Gomond have become my creative partners, with whom I am now dreaming up an unprecedented form, a “filmopera”; and the very first residency for this project is being born right here, where we first met.

Julie Hega participated in Opera de-ci de-là, a project for collective music and theatrical creation, in 2022. In 2021, she was ‘ a student’ in Kaija Saariaho’s opera Innocence, which premiered at the Festival d’Aix.

Evan Hughes

Singer

As a participant in the Mozart/Haendel Residency of the Académie in 2011, my eyes were opened, and my desire was ignited to play a role in cutting edge opera-making. Cultivating technique, style, and interpretation with world class masters, inside the nucleus of contemporary Opera was integral in giving me the push to begin my career in Europe. I was so fortunate to later come back to the Festival for several projects. I consider Aix to be one of my dearest artistic homes. 

Evan Hughes is a former participant of the Mozart/Haendel Residency and has been the invited back to the Festival in the revival of the Midsummer Night’s Dream in Beijing, in the Rake’s Progress in 2017, in a series of recital with pianist Helio Vida, and in the world premiere of Il Viaggio Dante by Pascal Dusapin in 2022.

Kunal Lahiry

Performer and curator

Aix was the beginning of my professional career in a way; it was the first audition of its kind that I had “won”, which helped tremendously with my confidence as a young artist (it also helped bolster my cv when applying to artist programs in the future). More importantly, I met so many incredibly talented and passionate creatives at the Festival who remain part of my musical circle today.

Kunal Lahiry was invited back in Aix for a series of recital with mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron.

TD Moyo

Theatre and opera director- writer

Quatuor Mona

Quartet / artists

For us, the Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence has mainly been a place for encounters. It was there that we discovered the world of composer Bushra El Turk, whose repertoire we have enjoyed performing ever since. We also forged connections with the Quatuor Diotima, who were mentors for the Chamber Music Residency in which we participated, and who greatly inspired us through their approach to contemporary music.

Laila Soliman

Theater and Opera Director, as well as Dramaturge, Playright, Curator and Educator

Despite being unable to read music, I have always had the dream to direct an opera. As my career evolved, music has always occupied an important place in my performances. This led the French Cultural Center to contact me and offer me a scholarship to join the enoa Summer academy in 2015 for the Opera Creation Workshop. At that point, this invitation just felt like an aimless dream taking shape and a great opportunity to spend some time in Aix, watching and discussing Opera. There, I met Katie Mitchell ,who through a simple starting question, taught me to acknowledge my responsibility and to be more aware of my worth as a woman director looking forward to a more feminist and equal future in Opera. Via the network of the Festival came the idea of working with Lod to collaborate with Bushra Alturk on her opera Woman at Point Zero, a project proudly put in place by a creative team of diverse women from different parts of the world.

Women at Point Zero, Bushra El Turk's opera on a text by Stacy Hardy, after Nawal El Saadawi's novel, was premiered at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in July 2022 under Kanako Abe's baton and in a staging by Laila Soliman.

Josephine Stephenson

Composer

I would say that the most significant impact of the Academy on my career comes from the guidance and tools provided by director Katie Mitchell during the Young Women Opera Makers residency (2021–2022), which opened my eyes to many aspects of my profession and gave me confidence in myself. In my approach to new projects, there is clearly a “before” and an “after” this workshop.

Amanda Wilkin

Playwright and librettist

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