The Studio baroque at the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles is a unique two-year training and career development programme designed for young singers and instrumentalists. Conceived as a living laboratory for research, creation and interdisciplinary experimentation, it combines high artistic standards, historically informed practice and practical preparation for a career as a musician.
Launched as part of the CMBV’s 40th anniversary in 2027, the Studio baroque offers young performers the opportunity to explore the French Baroque repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries through a historically informed approach and to establish themselves in the professional world through practical experience, whilst developing musical excellence, autonomy and a performer’s commitment to contemporary cultural issues.
A comprehensive and multidisciplinary education
In the spirit of 18th-century practices, when artists could be church cantors, concert singers and singing opera performers all at once, the Studio baroque offers a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach.
The course covers all aspects of the profession of a musician specialising in early music:
- Vocal and instrumental technique
- Performance of the French secular and sacred vocal repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries (arias, cantatas, motets, operas, oratorios)
- Diction, stage presence and Baroque theatre
- Research, editing, outreach, production and dissemination
This approach promotes versatility, independence and creativity, enabling participants to adapt to a wide range of contexts: stage production, cultural activities, outreach, etc.
A link between training and entry into the workforce
The Studio baroque runs over two years:
- First year: an intensive eight-session course, alternating between theoretical lectures, practical sessions led by specialist researchers and artists, experimental workshops, visits to resource centres, and professional placements in prestigious settings.
- Second year: professional placement involving auditions with conductors and artistic directors, the creation of promotional material, participation in paid production projects and outreach activities, offering practical experience of the profession and a strong professional network.
Participants apply the latest developments in historically informed (performance practice). They explore innovative forms of concert performance and staging, and develop original projects in collaboration with the performing arts (dance, theatre, recitation).
Training the interpreters of tomorrow
Designed as a progressive course, the Studio baroque enables students to develop the following skills simultaneously:
- A solid and extensive repertoire
- Technical and stage skills
- An understanding of professional challenges
It trains performers who are able to combine artistic excellence, professional integration and artistic engagement in today’s society.
A unique setting, at the heart of the CMBV’s resources
The Studio baroque draws on all the resources of the CMBV, which has been a leading centre for early music in France for forty years. Participants benefit from the expertise of specialist researchers and teachers, access to reconstructed historical instruments, scores and publications from its publishing house, as well as its rehearsal rooms. Thanks to the CMBV’s network, they perform in prestigious venues and forge strong links with the professional music world.
Programme
The Studio baroque course runs over two consecutive years.
Year 1: in-depth training
The first year of the Studio baroque is designed as an intensive immersion in the French Baroque repertoire and professional practices. It takes place over eight sessions lasting three to five days, combining theoretical instruction with practical workshops, and includes public performances. The ‘experimental laboratory’ aspect of the training sessions provides the necessary space for a variety of interpretative approaches.
Each session alternates between:
- Theoretical sessions on vocal registers, instrumentation and the range of instruments used in French music, French, Italian and Latin declamation, the history and sources of opera, and musical languages and genres
- Practical sessions focusing on the singing body, dance and Baroque theatricality
- Individual or group lessons on vocal technique, operatic declamation, pronunciation, gesture and acting; rehearsals with a vocal coach; specific rehearsals for the continuo
- Masterclasses with renowned artistic figures, to enhance technical and stage expertise.
- ‘Being a musician today’ programme exploring the artist’s role within their ecosystem, accessibility and outreach, project sustainability, as well as the structuring of artistic projects and business models
- Visits and explorations of key venues such as the Palace of Versailles, the Paris Opera Library, or Sorbonne University, to link practice with history and musical sources
- Specific production projects enabling students to prepare and present concerts featuring iconic programmes from the French repertoire, putting research and performance into practice. In prestigious venues such as the Royal Chapel, the Manège de la Grande Écurie, and the Opéra de Massy
Dates for the 2027 sessions (subject to change):
- 11–14 January 2027 (concert at the Royal Chapel)
- 16–19 February 2027
- 5–7 March 2027
- 17–22 April 2027 (concert at the Royal Chapel)
- 3–6, then 10 (afternoon) and 11 June 2027 (concert at the Manège de la Grande Écurie)
- 3 to 5 September 2027
- 29 to 31 October, then 3 to 8 November and 11 to 13
- November 2027 (stage production at the Opéra de Massy, in partnership with the Théâtre Molière Sorbonne)
- 11 to 13 December 2027
Year 2: entry into the workforce
The second year of the Studio baroque is dedicated to preparing students for a career in the industry, combining training with practical, paid production experience:
- Auditions in front of conductors, artistic directors and agents: all participants will perform in two programmes, one secular and the other sacred, during four sessions held between January and April 2028
- Tour of the programmes prepared in the first year, enabling students to put their acquired skills into practice and experience the professional life of a musician
- Participation in professional projects: concerts, recordings and artistic collaborations within the CMBV network
- Introductory course in music-related professions: outreach, research, production, dissemination and teaching (between January and March 2028)
- Support with the preparation of promotional materials (photos, video recordings, artistic CVs) to support the launch of participants’ careers (two sessions between January and March 2028)
Repertoire
A collection of French secular and sacred vocal works from the 17th and 18th centuries – arias, cantatas, operas, oratorios and motets – studied in their original languages (French, Italian, Latin)
Participants
- Young artists who have completed their studies (at undergraduate or postgraduate level) or who wish to refine their skills
- Singers of all voice types (soprano/high soprano, mezzo-soprano/low soprano, alto/countertenor, high countertenor/tenor, bass-baritone/baritone/bass)
- Continuo players (viola players, cellists, theorbo players, harpsichordists)
- French and international applicants, whether experienced or new to the Baroque repertoire
Trainers
The Studio baroque is under the direction of Simon Prunet-Foch, Head of training. The teaching is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of around twenty tutors: performers, choreographers, directors and researchers. All contribute to the teaching through their expertise in a variety of fields: singing, music, rhetoric, theatre, dance, research, artistic direction, and more, with in-depth knowledge of the French Baroque repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Hasnaa Bennani, opera singer
- Thomas Dolié, opera singer
- Valérie Gabail, opera singer
- Claire Lefilliâtre, opera singer
- Chantal Santon-Jeffery, opera singer
- Violaine Cochard, harpsichordist and vocal coach
- Hélène Dufour-Intrieri, harpsichordist and vocal coach
- Mathieu Dupouy, harpsichordist and vocal coach
- Élisabeth Geiger, harpsichordist and vocal coach
- Manuel de Grange, theorbo player and vocal coach
- Tormod Dalen, cellist and vocal coach
- Hilary Metzger, cellist and vocal coach
- Atsushi Sakai, viol player, cellist and vocal coach
- Deda Cristina Colonna, choreographer and director
- Julia Gros de Gasquet, actress, director and lecturer at the ENS
- Olivier Bettens, historian of French and Latin pronunciation and elocution
- Michaël Bouffard, art historian, theatre director and co-director of the Théâtre Molière Sorbonne
- Fabien Armengaud, Artistic and Musical Director of the Maîtrise (CMBV)
- Benoît Dratwicki, Researcher and Artistic Director (CMBV - CESR)
- Bénédicte Hertz, researcher (CMBV)
- Thomas Leconte, Researcher and Editorial Manager (CMBV)
- Barbara Nestola, Head of Research (CMBV-CNRS)
The team of tutors is also bolstered by the support of members of the CMBV’s permanent staff from the training, production and outreach departments, who contribute their specific expertise in the field of music.
Registration details
- Course taught in French (conversations in English are possible)
- Limited places:
- 10 singers
- 8 instrumentalists: 2 violists, 2 cellists, 2 theorbo players, 2 harpsichordists
- Selection based on application (including a recording) and an audition before a panel comprising members of the CMBV and teachers from the Studio
- Audition dates: 22–24 September 2026 (singers), 24–25 September 2026 (instrumentalists)
- Individual fee: €1,600 (€3,000 with funding from AFDAS or another OPCO) for the first year of training. No registration fees for the second year of professional placement
- These fees include: tuition, sheet music and teaching materials, instruments and rehearsal rooms, support with professional placement
- Year 2: paid engagements in the form of performance fees as part of professional projects
Accessibility
The classrooms and teaching areas are accessible to people with reduced mobility. If you have a disability that requires adjustments to the teaching, please let us know when you register: this information will be passed on to the CMBV’s disability liaison officer, who will then get in touch with you.
Applications open: 1 June 2026
Application deadline: 8 July 2026
