Valentin Thill
Clare Erskine
Shirley Thomson
“The young French tenor dazzles with his silvery tone and charming stage presence.”
L’Echo
Distinguished for his expressive voice and vibrant stage presence, emerging French tenor Valentin Thill has secured himself a bright future through some exceptional recent debuts. Key performances in his career to date include Chevalier de la Force for Glyndebourne Festival Opera in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Dialogues des Carmélites under Robin Ticciati, Tamino in Pierre Rigal’s new production of Die Zauberflöte for Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse under Frank Beermann, Pong in Christophe Coppens’ new production of Turandot for La Monnaie under Ouri Bronchti, and Joe in Tatjana Gürbaca’s new production of La Fanciulla del West for Opéra National de Lyon under Daniele Rustioni.
In the upcoming season, Valentin makes his company debut for Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía as Chevalier de la Force in Robert Carsen’s production of Dialogues des Carmélites under Riccardo Minasi. He also returns to both Opéra de Nice in the principal role of Michel in Martinů’s Juliette ou la clé des songes under Anthony Hermus, and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse as Steuermann in Michel Fau’s new production of Der fliegende Holländer under Frank Beermann.
Consistently highlighted for the beauty of his timbre and nuanced characterisations, Thill’s critically acclaimed debuts elsewhere have included Jaquino (Fidelio) at Opéra de Nice conducted by Marko Letonja, Pylade (Iphigénie en Tauride) at Opéra national de Montpellier under Pierre Dumoussaud, Spalanzani (Les contes d’Hoffmann) at Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège under Giampaolo Bisanti, Tavannes (Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots) for La Monnaie conducted by Evelino Pidò, Seeman and der Hirt (Tristan und Isolde) at Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, and Alfred in (Die Fledermaus) for Opéra de Toulon.
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On the concert platform, Valentin Thill has recently appeared in Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with Opéra de Limoges, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse under Jordi Savall, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with Orchestre national de Lyon under Ben Glassberg and Dvořák’s Stabat Mater with Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Anja Bihlmaier. In concert performances of opera, Thill has performed at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence as Barbarigo in Verdi’s I due Foscari conducted by Daniele Rustioni, as Nadir in Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs des Perles at Opéra Royal de Wallonie, as Roggiero in Rossini’s Tancredi under Jérémie Rhorer at Festival de Beaune and, as part of the 2023 BBC Proms with Glyndebourne Festival Opera and Robin Ticciati, as Chevalier de la Force at London’s Royal Albert Hall, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.
As a former Artist in Residence at Brussels’ Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, Valentin studied with José van Dam and Sophie Koch and has been the recipient of several emerging talent competition awards, including first prize in the Concours International de la Mélodie de Gordes, the Gabriel Dussurget Prize at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, and second prize at the 52nd Concours International de Chant de Toulouse.
Gallery
“As Prunier, Valentin Thill’s pronunciation is a delight for the listener and his projection is wonderful. The high notes are brilliant (especially in his sentences in Act I) and the low notes, which have grown even more, are impressive; no doubt revealing, after his recent performances of the young sailor and the shepherd in Tristan in Toulouse, a potential Wagnerian…”
“His tenor colleague Valentin Thill, the third councillor Pong, presents a fuller, broader, and deeper voice.”
“and the trio Ping/Pang/Pong of Alexander Marev, Leon Kosavic and Valentin Thill alternate between shared comic pleasure and exquisite lyricism.”
“Excerpts from the Pearl Fishers open the evening where the voices of tenor Valentin Thill and baritone Jérôme Boutillier combine with passion and determination…Valentin’s commitment and desire to achieve excellence is obvious. He is currently rehearsing the role of Pong in the Turandot which will be presented next month in Brussels under the baton of Kazushi Ono, but bigger roles now await him, that’s for sure.”
“But the great musical success of the show is also largely based on a meticulous cast, even in the smallest roles, in which we note the presence of Léo Vermot-Desroches and Valentin Thill, two young tenors recently noticed at the Voix Nouvelles Competition.”
“Valentin Thill’s Alfred, a newcomer to this cast, is absorbed brilliantly into it : the sincere lover and just suitor who wins Rosalinde’s heart…with full-bodied voice and panache”
“In Alfred, the tenor Valentin Thill, Rosalinde’s singing master, sticks to the skin of his character like glue: constantly singing, vibrant… with his homogeneous and well-projected voice”
“The young French tenor Valentin Thill gives a certain depth to the “father” Of Olympia, the inventor Spalanzani. The voice rises with fervour and energy.”
“The supporting roles are well cast, especially the superlative Valentin Thill (Spalanzani), who we would like to hear in an even more extensive performance.”
“Sung with style and vigour, Valentin Thill’s superb Spalanzani left an impression.”
“Valentin Thill’s Spalanzani deserves special mention – his beautiful timbre is supported by powerful projection and impeccable diction.”
“A resonant timbre, with a welcome cutting-through sound used to tackle difficult and lesser-known excerpts from Benvenuto Cellini (Berlioz) and from Gianni Schicchi (Puccini). [These were] ambitious repertoire choices, showing evidence of [an artist with] an engaged musical personality and who masters French repertoire.”
“The role of Pylade falls to tenor Valentin Thill whose career is currently flourishing. The tone of his voice, tender and pure, is naturally full of emotion and his diction is consistently perfect […] his voice is radiant in the moving aria ‘Unis dès la plus tendre enfance’, in which he superbly conveys tenderness and lyricism.”
“Valentin Thill has the perfect style and timbre for this noble tenor role. He makes Pylade a hero as tender as he is resolute.”
“Fortunately, Valentin Thill’s very beautiful Pylade brings some sensitivity to this brutal world.”
“His Pylade demonstrates crystal clear high notes and clear, precise vocal lines.”
“We admire most of all the extraordinary Pylade of Valentin Thill: the beauty of the timbre, the refinement of the line, the expressiveness of the voice, the truth of the character.”
“Tenor Valentin Thill made a big impression as the Shepherd as well as the voice of the Sailor that begins the opera.”
“Tenor Valentin Thill’s purity of singing is seductive and convincing in the roles of the Young Sailor and the Shepherd.”
“Valentin Thill is always seductive. He demonstrates a fresh, easy and assured lyric tenor voice in the roles of the Young Sailor and the Shepherd.”
“Valentin Thill is as assertive as he is a fine singer.”
“In the cast we are blessed with two sumptuous supporting roles: Valentin Thill and Mikhael Piccone. The first, a tenor of superlative diction, is an imposing presence of poetic clarity and precise phrasing.”
“Valentin Thill makes a beautiful Piféar, the fisherman friend of Zéphoris, a naive and cowardly character. His voice is ample, well placed and his acting convincing.”
“Valentin Thill delivers a radiant singing lesson in Nadir and his luminous interpretation of the aria “Je crois entendre encore” crowned by trebles close to the impalpable and perfectly mastered, earning him a well-deserved ovation from the public”
“Despite the relative brevity of the role and only one aria to his credit, the French tenor Valentin Thill (Roggiero) stands out for the plasticity of his luminous voice, attention to the vocal line and his commitment.”
“Valentin Thill…carries out this task with happiness, and even with brilliance in his air “S’avverassero pure i detti suoi!”.
“Refined and haughty, the French tenor Valentin Thill personifies Tavannes as a scandalous Bacchus, demonstrating an ease of play and a mastery of his voice perfectly matched with the character. Direct, frank and honest, this singer’s voice fits beautifully into a very masculine cast.”
“Valentin Thill’s Tamino never fails.”
“Valentin Thill’s Tamino balances youth and fullness of intonation, with a sensitive affinity with Mozartian writing.”
“Valentin Thill as Barbarigo, what luxury!”
“The young French tenor dazzles with his silvery tone and charming stage presence.”
“Quality of tone, musicality, and sensitivity are his strengths.”