Jean-François Lombard

Born in a musical family, Jean-François Lombard sang on stage for the first time at the age of ten, in Puccini’s Tosca at the Rouen Opera under the Paul Ethuin’s direction. A few years later, he studied singing, music theory and music history at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Rouen, then continued his studies at the Maîtrise du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles with Olivier Schneebeli.

Noted for his rare range as a « haute-contre » (high tenor), he has collaborated with the main baroque music ensembles such as Le Poème Harmonique, Les Paladins, Modo Antico, La Petite Bande, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Arts Florissants, La Chapelle Rhénane, Les Ombres, La Clique des Lunaisiens, Les Folies Françoises, La Fenice, La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy, Le Concert Spirituel, La Risonanza, L’Ensemble Vocal et Instrumental de Lausanne, La Symphonie de Marais.

On stage, Jean-François Lombard played the title role in Rameau’s Platée at the Hudební Festival Znojmo in the Czech Republic, Arnalta and Nutrice in Monteverdi’s l’Incoronazione di Poppea at the Opéra de Massy and the Opéra Royal de Versailles, Pisandro and Umana Fragilità in Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria by Monteverdi at the Opéra de Nice, La Nourrice in Lully’s Cadmus et Hermione at the Opéra Comique in Paris and at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, La Matrone d’Ephèse in La Guerre des Théâtres at the Opéra d’Angers-Nantes, Tigrane in Pagliardi’s Caligula delirante at the Amphithéâtre de l’Opéra Bastille in Paris, Erice in Cavalli’s L’Ormindo at the Opéra de Rennes, Valère and Damon in Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes at the Opéra de Reims.

In concert, Jean-François Lombard is in turn Elviro in Cavalli’s Serseat the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Pygmalion in Rameau’s Pygmalionin Stockholm, Valère and Damon in Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes at the Académie Sainte Cécile in Rome, and Charpentier’s Actéon at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest.

He sang Charpentier’s Te Deum at the Vienna Konzerthaus, Arias and Duets from French Baroque Operas at Princeton University, in San Jose and Washington, then in recital at the Getty Center Museum in Los Angeles, as well as Schubert’s Lieder, accompanied by Alain Planès and the Accentus Chamber Choir, at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord in Paris.

In 2016, the director and current director of the Théâtre Nanterre-Amandiers Christophe Rauck offered him the opportunity to make his acting debut with the role of Chérubin in Ödön von Horváth Figaro Divorce (critics’ prize for best show created in the region) on tour in France, in Lausanne, Geneva and Paris.

In 2017-18, a new collaboration was born with William Shakespeare’s As you like it, created at the Théâtre du Nord in Lille, then on tour in France.

During the 2021-22 season, Jean-François Lombard sung Acis in Lully’s Acis et Galatéedirected by Federico-Maria Sardelli at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Festival and Le Soleil in Lully’s Phaétondirected by Jérôme Correas at the Opéra de Nice.

Among his important projects in 2022-23 include Café Liberta at the Opéra de Massy and the Opéra Nantes-Angers with Les Paladins and the choreographer Ambra Senatore.

His list of recordings includes DVDs of Lully’s Cadmus et Hermione and Pagliardi’s Caligula delirante with Le Poème Harmonique, Molière à l’Opéra and Cavalli’s Ormindo with Les Paladins, Marie-Antoinette’s Salon de Musique, Monteverdi’s Il Vespro with La Petite Bande, Soleils Baroques with Les Paladins, Capricornus’s Theatrum Musicum and Leçons de Ténèbres with La Chapelle Rhénane, Des Petits Motets by Campra with Les Folies Françoises, Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres with Les Paladins, Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit with Les Arts Florissants, Charpentiers’s David et Jonathas with Les Pages et les Chantres du Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, Schütz’s Historia der Geburt Jesu Christi with La Chapelle Rhénane.

Jean-François Lombard is regularly invited in France and abroad to teach singing and interpretation: Conservatoires à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Pôle Supérieur de Paris Boulogne-Billancourt, Opéra de Massy, Holešov Baroque Academy in Czech Republic, International Handel Academy in Karlsruhe in Germany.

He is also the voice referent for the young actors of the “La Belle Troupe” in the Théâtre de Nanterre-Amandiers.