Soyer, Roger (Julien Jacques)
Soyer, Roger (Julien Jacques)
Soyer, Roger (Julien Jacques), French bass; b. Paris, Sept. 1, 1939. He began his training with Daum, and then studied with Jouatte and Musy at the Paris Cons., where he won premiers prix in singing (1962) and opera (1963). In 1962 he made his debut at the Piccola Scala in Milan as Poulenc’s Tiresias. From 1963 he sang at the Paris Opéra. In 1964 he appeared as Pluto in Monteverdi’s Orfeo at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, where he sang with much success in subsequent years. In 1968 he made his U.S. debut in Miami as Friar Lawrence in Roméo et Juliette, and also appeared at the Wexford Festival in England in La Jolie Fille. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. in one of his finest roles, Don Giovanni, on Nov. 16, 1972. He also chose that role for his first appearance at the Edinburgh Festival in 1973. In subsequent years, he sang with principal European opera houses and festivals. He also appeared widely as a concert artist. Among his other admired roles were Don Basilio, Méphistophélès, Ferrando, Colline, and Sulpice.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire