Patricia Petibon
was born in Montargis, France. Already interested in the piano and fine arts as a child, she earned a bachelor’s degree in musicology at the Paris Conservatoire and then went on to study singing there with Professor Rachel Yakar, graduating with a first prize in 1995. She was discovered by the acclaimed American conductor and harpsichordist William Christie and consequently often worked with his orchestra Les Arts Florissants, appearing with Christie at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, La Scala in Milan, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Wigmore Hall in London. Patricia Petibon has been awarded three Victoires de la musique classique – as “Best Young Talent” in 1998 and as “Best Opera Singer” in 2001 and 2003.

In 1996 she made a successful debut at the Opéra de Paris in Rameau’s HIPPOLYTE ET ARICIE, and subsequently appeared in a variety of roles including Blondchen in Mozart’s DIE ENTFÜHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL, Zerbinetta in ARIADNE AUF NAXOS and Sophie in DER ROSENKAVALIER, Norina in DON PASQUALE and Olympia in LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN. She has performed at the Deutsche Oper am Rhein, the opera houses in Lyon, Nancy, Toulouse and Strasbourg, following with debuts at the Opéra Bastille in Paris in Massenet’s MANON, the Zurich Opera as Blondchen and the Vienna State Opera as Olympia and Sophie. In 2006 she made her role debut as Susanna in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO in Nancy and in 2007 she appeared as Olympia at the Paris Opéra Bastille and as Ginevra in Handel’s ARIODANTE in Geneva. Highlights of 2008 included Camille in Hérold’s ZAMPA at the Opéra Comique in Paris and the Duchess Carolina in the zarzuela LUISA FERNANDA by Federico Moreno Torroba at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna alongside Plácido Domingo.

The soprano is frequently heard as a recitalist and has also performed numerous Baroque opera roles, including Phani and Zima in Rameau’s LES INDES GALANTES under William Christie at the Opéra Bastille, Dalinda in ARIODANTE conducted by Marc Minkowski and Amor in Gluck’s ORPHÉE ET EURYDICE under Sir John Eliot Gardiner at the reopening of the Théâtre du Châtelet. A particular success was her performance as Zelmira in Haydn’s ARMIDA at the Vienna Musikverein, with Cecilia Bartoli and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She has since worked frequently with Harnoncourt, appearing under his baton as Mademoiselle Silberklang in Mozart’s DER SCHAUSPIELDIREKTOR in Salzburg and in Vienna’s Musikverein, Giunia in Mozart’s LUCIO SILLA at the Theater an der Wien, Angelica in Haydn’s ORLANDO PALADINO at the Styriarte Festival in Graz and Worldliness in Mozart’s SCHULDIGKEIT DES ERSTEN GEBOTS in Vienna, Lucerne and Salzburg.

Recent highlights include COSÌ FAN TUTTE/Despina at the Salzburg Festival and her role debut of Lulu in Geneva, at the Salzburg Festival and in Barcelona (also released on DVD with the label DGG). She further performed Blanche/LES DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES at the Theater an der Wien, Aspasia/MITRIDATE with Ivor Bolton at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and Susanna/LE NOZZE DI FIGARO at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Her debuts as Donna Anna/DON GIOVANNI at the Opéra Bastille in Paris and as Gilda/RIGOLETTO in Munich were stunning successes.

Concert engagements of the current season include Ravel’s SHÉHÉRAZADE in Paris, concerts with her Spanish programme with the Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid and Vienna, and Baroque arias with the Ensemble Amaryllis at the Festival d’Ambronay, her new baroque programme “Nouveau Monde” in Versailles and Geneva, Britten’s LES ILLUMINATIONS in Munich and Budapest, LES MARTYRES SELON SAINT SÉBASTIEN in Vienna, Mozart arias in Copenhagen and Haydn’s IL RITORNO DI TOBIA with Nikolaus Harnoncourt at the Salzburg Festival as well as recitals in Spain and Austria. At the Liceu in Barcelona she will perform in Mozart’s LUCIO SILLA.

The 2013/14 season includes a new production of LES DIALOGUES DES CARMÉLITES at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, a new tour with La Cetra with her program “Nouveau Monde” as well as the world premiere of AU MONDE, a new opera by Philippe Boesmans in Brussels.

Patricia Petibon has been an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist since 2008. Her debut album, “Amoureuses” – arias by Mozart, Haydn and Gluck with Concerto Köln and Daniel Harding –, was released in autumn 2008 and won 2009’s BBC Music Magazine Award for “Best Opera Album”. She is also to be seen and heard on the DVD A Mozart Gala from Salzburg, which features such renowned Deutsche Grammophon stars as Anna Netrebko and Magdalena Kožená. In 2010 Deutsche Grammophon released her Italian Baroque album “Rosso” with Marcon and CARMINA BURANA from Munich under Harding. Her releases in 2011 included “Melancolia”, an album of Spanish arias and songs with Josep Pons conducting the Spanish National Orchestra, which they took on an autumn tour of France and Spain in 2011, and (on DVD) her acclaimed interpretation of Berg’s LULU in Olivier Py’s production, filmed live at the Liceu in Barcelona. 2012 sees the release of “Nouveau Monde”, Baroque arias and songs from England, France, Spain and Latin America, with Marcon directing La Cetra.

Susan Manoff
was born in New York of Latvian and German descent. She studied at the Manhattan School of Music and at the University of Oregon. Intensive studies with Gwendoline Koldofsky in the art song repertoire led her to become one of the most sought-after pianists of her generation.

In addition to her interest in the vocal repertoire, Susan Manoff is a passionate advocate of chamber music. She performs regularly at international festivals and is invited by major concert halls around the world such as Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Théâtre du Châtelet, Salle Gaveau, Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein. Susan Manoff is a regular guest of France Musique. Musical curiosity and love for theatre have inspired Susan Manoff’s involvement in the creation of numerous programmes blending music and text.

Her partners have been Jean Rochefort, Fabrice Luchini and Marie-Christine Barrault and she has been directed by Hans Jürgen Syberberg and Joël Jouanneau.

Susan Manoff has recorded for the labels Naïve, Decca, Virgin, Arion, Valois and Aparte. In 2007 she recorded her first CD with Sandrine Piau, entitled 'Evocation’, and a second recording, 'Après un Rêve', was released in March 2011 (Naïve.) Susan Manoff’s recent recording with long term musical partner Nemanja Radulovic is dedicated to the violin and piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven (Decca, 2010. Her latest album, "La Belle Excentrique" with soprano Patricia Petibon, will be released in autumn of 2014 (Deutsche Grammophon).

Susan Manoff was assistant chorus director at the Bastille Opera and is presently a professor at the Conservatoire National de Musique et de Danse de Paris. In 2011, she was named Chevalier des Arts et Des Lettres by the Cultural Ministry of France.