Chantal Santon Jeffery

Soprano Chantal Santon Jeffery is among France's most acclaimed sopranos. She is also among the most versatile, with a repertory running from the Baroque to contemporary works. Her recording catalog reflects that diversity, containing albums covering music from the mid-Baroque to several world premieres. In 2024, Santon Jeffery was heard on the Harmonia Mundi album Liebe Amalia..., which examined the music and influence of Princess Amalia of Prussia. Santon Jeffery is a native of Marseille. She attended university to study political science and obtained a degree in that field before switching to singing and matriculating at the Paris Conservatory. There, she studied with Udo Reinemann, Noelle Barker, and Margreet Honig, among others. She made her operatic debut in 1999 in a production of Weber's Der Freischütz at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung. Beginning in 2001, Santon Jeffery had an ongoing association with France's Arcal opera company. In 2012, she made her recording debut on the album Stradella: Lagrima e Sopsiri, featuring arias by that 17th century Italian composer. Her operatic repertory is notable for its diversity, running from the role of Nérine in Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Médée to a brand-new work by composer Frédéric Verrières. She has sung in world premieres in continental Europe, Wales, and Japan. Almost alone among contemporary sopranos, she has sung operas by Purcell, Haydn, Mozart, and Wagner (Der fliegende Holländer). In concert, Santon Jeffery has also sung 19th century works such as Verdi's Requiem, appearing with major orchestras across France and beyond. She has been especially noted for her work with major conductors in the historical-performance movement related to French Baroque music. She has sung with Le Concert Spirituel under Hervé Niquet, Les Arts Florissants under William Christie, and Les Talens Lyriques under Christophe Rousset, among others. She has been heard on several more recordings, including, in 2019, a reading of Rameau's Les Indes galantes on the Glossa label, conducted by historical-performance specialist György Vashegyi. Her roles for the 2019-2020 season included that of Mozart's Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, with two different companies, in Versailles and Avignon, both under the direction of Niquet. Santon Jeffery remained active through the COVID-19 pandemic, issuing albums as diverse as the recital Brillez, Astres Nouveaux!, and those covering works by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and Giovanni Simone Mayr. In 2024, she was heard on the Harmonia Mundi album Liebe Amalia..., which examined the music and influence of Princess Amalia of Prussia in the middle 18th century. She has given master classes at several institutions, including the University of Prague. ~ James Manheim, Rovi