Monadnock Music: Philippe Castagner

Canadian-American tenor, Philippe Castagner, is recognized for his beautiful and natural sound, as well as for a fresh and appealing presence on symphonic, operatic, and recital stages. Born in Canada and raised in New Jersey, Mr. Castagner joined The Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program in 2002 and made his Metropolitan Opera debut that season as the First Prisoner in Fidelio, and later, as Beppe in I Pagliacci. Since then, he has appeared with the New York City, Portland, and Granite State Opera companies, the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and American Symphony Orchestras, and has performed in recital at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, the 92nd Street Y, Washington's Terrace Theater, and Boston's Isabel Gardner Museum.

During the 2006-2007 season, Mr. Castagner made his New York Philharmonic debut with Loren Maazel in Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortilèges, for which he has been re-engaged to perform in 2009. During the season, he performed as Tamino in the Vancouver Opera's production of Die Zauberflöte, and Golo in the American debut of Robert Schumann's Genoveva at the Bard Festival, as well as making a theatrical appearance as Freddy in My Fair Lady with the New York Philharmonic. Philippe Castagner and his wife reside in Brooklyn, New York.

Castagner has debuted with a number of orchestras and opera companies. He sings Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra in Caracas. He also sings Beethoven with Louis Langrée and the Mostly Mozart Orchestra. He performs Beppe in Vancouver Opera's production of I Pagliacci and travels to Spain to sing Ferrando in Bilbao's Così fan tutte, and to the Arizona Opera for Tamino in Die Zauberflöte. He appears with the New World Symphony, singing Ralph Vaughn Williams' On Wenlock Edge, and bows as Hylas in the Boston Symphony Orchestra's complete performance of Les Troyens, with James Levine. Mr. Castagner performs Handel's Messiah at Carnegie Hall, Bach's St. Matthew's Passion in Bethesda, Maryland, and gives a number of recitals under the auspices of Young Concert Artists, as well as for the Harvard Theater Collection and San Francisco Opera.

"His voice is beautiful, light and shimmering with subtlety. He's no crooner though, and he can rattle the rafters with the best of them. But it is his quieter, more emotional singing that is his best feature. He phrases instinctively and gorgeously, and he has the big breath to make this phrasing possible."

- The Post and Courier

"Mr. Castagner is one of the most promising tenors since the late Alfredo Kraus. The manner is fresh, appealing, and winning, the voice saucy, wide-ranging, flexible....It was moving to see a few old-timers rush to the footlights (like people used to do more often) to cheer the young singer. They were on to something: with luck and the right opportunities, Mr. Castagner could be a major tenor of his generation."
- The New York Sun