Events14 results
About
Nathalie Stutzmann (née Dupuy) is a French operatic contralto and conductor. As a singer, she specialises in Lieder, mélodies and baroque music. As a conductor, she directs Orfeo 55, the chamber orchestra she founded. She has been the principal guest conductor of RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra since September 2017 and chief conductor of Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra since September 2018.
The 2018/19 season sees Nathalie Stutzmann begin her tenure as Chief Conductor of the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra in Norway. Principal Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland since September 2017, Nathalie’s opening season culminated in a ‘life-affirming’ performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Bachtrack). She is also Associate Artist of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra.
Nathalie is considered one of the most outstanding musical personalities of our time, with parallel careers as a world-renowned contralto and as a rising star conductor. Her charismatic musicianship, combined with the unique rigour, energy and fantasy which characterises her style, has been recognised by her peers, audience and critics alike. As a conductor, her core repertoire is focussed around the Romantic era — ranging from Beethoven, Brahms and Dvorak through to the larger symphonic forces of Mahler, Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Wagner — as well as French impressionism.
Highlights as a guest conductor in the 2018/19 season include return engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and the National Symphony Orchestra Washington for a six-concert series. Further ahead, she looks forward to return engagements with the Gothenburg Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra and a debut with the London Symphony Orchestra and Seattle Symphony.
Nathalie Stutzmann is also establishing a strong reputation as an opera conductor. She recently conducted critically acclaimed performances of Boito’s Mefistofele at the 2018 Chorégies d’Orange festival in Provence. This followed an equally noted production of Wagner’s Tannhäuser (2017) at Monte Carlo Opera. Future opera conducting plans include Gluck’s Iphigenie en Tauride and Tchaikovsky’s Dame de Pique.
Nathalie studied conducting with the legendary Finnish teacher Jorma Panula and was mentored by Seiji Ozawa and Sir Simon Rattle (who says that “Nathalie is the real thing. So much love, intensity and sheer technique. We need more conductors like her”). Nathalie now devotes most of her singing season to song recitals and to the chamber orchestra she founded — Orfeo 55 — which is resident at the Opéra National de Montpellier. She received the ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite’ honour from the French State and in spring 2015 she was appointed an Officer of the prestigious ‘Arts et Lettres’ in France. Nathalie is an exclusive recording artist of Warner Classics/Erato as both singer and conductor.