Named after Marquis de Lafayette Headquarters Old Naval Hospital General Manager William J.H. Chapman Founder Ryan Brown | Formation 1994 (1994) Conductor and Artistic Director Ryan Brown Record label Naxos Records Founded 1994 | |
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Founded at Washington, D.C., United States Similar Pierre‑Alexandre Monsigny, André Grétry, Antonio Sacchini, Jean‑Paul Fouchécourt, Félicien David Profiles | ||
Excerpt from aru ris act 3 of les f tes de l hymen et de l amour ou les dieux d gypte
Opera Lafayette is an opera company based in Washington, D.C., that produces French operas from the 17th and 18th centuries. It was founded in 1995 by Ryan Brown and splits its season between Washington and New York City.
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Gretry l epreuve villageoise the village trial opera lafayette ryan brown
History
Specializing in French Baroque opera, Opera Lafayette was founded in Washington's Capitol Hill neighborhood in 1994 by Ryan Brown as the Violins of Lafayette, named after the Marquis de Lafayette. It adopted its current name during 2001 and, in 2005, released its first recording on the Naxos label, Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orphée et Euridice. In 2012, Opera Lafayette staged its first international performance, Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny's Le roi et le fermier (The King and the Farmer); this "forgotten" Monsigny work was performed at the Royal Opera of Versailles using recently discovered backdrops from a 1780 staging of the opera. An ensemble from the company performed aboard the French frigate Hermione, a replica of the 32-gun Concorde class frigate that once ferried the Marquis de Lafayette to the United States, during its 2015 visit to Alexandria, Virginia.
According to the New York Times, Opera Lafayette has "won consistent praise and loyal audiences for its historically informed productions of French Baroque operas using period instruments, appropriate costumes and elegant dancing". The paper has further described it as "a skillful purveyor of French Baroque operas", while DC Theatre Scene has said the company "should be considered a national treasure".
Organization
As of 2016, the opera's conductor and artistic director is Ryan Brown, William J.H. Chapman is the general manager, and Chris O'Flinn is the chair of the company's board of directors. The concertmaster of Opera Lafayette's orchestra is Claire Jolivet.
The company performs a split season with performances in Washington at the Kennedy Center, and in New York at Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Discography
Opera Lafayette has released eleven recordings, all on the Naxos label:
Selections from the above recordings are included in the two CDs accompanying a Naxos book, A–Z of Opera, 2nd Edition.