Papageno and Papagena with their feathers, the trials Prince Tamino must endure to save the beautiful Pamina from the mysterious Sarastro… Here, Mozart’s most famous opera is transposed into a participatory opera for young audiences! The Magic Flute becomes The Little Magic Flute, a shorter version adapted in French of this supreme masterpiece first staged in Vienna back in 1791.
Julie Depardieu has devised this show to introduce children to opera and its codes by actively involving them in the performance. From their seats, they will join the artists in singing certain arias of which the words will be screened karaoke-style! Beforehand, the audience singers will have been prepared and familiarized with the music and singing of the selected excerpts. This preparation time, followed by the magic of the performance, will provide unique moments for both the children and their families. Come and experience the enchantment of an initiatory tale through a vibrant show!
The vocal line-up composed of youthful talents will be mainly drawn from the Lausanne University of Music (HEMU), as will the orchestra to be conducted by Simon Proust.
PARTICIPATORY OPERA: INSTRUCTIONS
How should one prepare?
It’s so simple! We’ve got you covered:
There are two dates to choose from :
SATURDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2025, 11 AM
TUESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2025, 5.30 PM
Reservation is essential.
The songbook
Scores sung by the public (optional)
Body percussion (song 3)
Choregraphy
French sign language excerpt
The teaser
Orchestra of HEMU
The Swiss baritone studied at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne in the class of Frédéric Gindraux, before moving to London to work with Prof. Rudolf Piernay at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he obtained an Artist Diploma with distinction. He also worked with Dame Felicity Lott, François Le Roux, Eugene Asti and Graham Johnson, whom he assisted in his latest book on the life of Francis Poulenc, “Poulenc: The Life in the Songs”, published by Liveright. He sings several roles for the Opéra de Lausanne, including the title role in Christiné’s operetta Dédé, Melchior in Menotti’s Amahl et les Visiteurs du Soir, Maximilian in Bernstein’s Candide, and Urbain in Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne. He also creates recitals for children and a workshop during the Lausanne Youth Olympic Games in 2020. He is also heard singing Weill’s Berliner Requiem during the exceptional concert of the Opera Choir. He has worked for the LSO (London Symphony Orchestra) on several occasions (Discovery Day on the music of Michael Tippett, soloist for Haydn’s Nelson Mass or curator of a recital in the series “Future: the musical voices of our time”), the BBC (“Immersion in the music of Detlev Glanert”) or the Wigmore Hall (study groups on the vocal music of Schumann, Ravel, a recital of contemporary music and a recital of French melodies). He is part of the French Song Exchange between the Wigmore Hall and the Salle Cortot in Paris, where he has the chance to make his debut in 2019 and return regularly to perform. The singer, a Samling Foundation Artist, is awarded the title of Ambassador of Melody by the Oxford Lieder Festival for the year 2020. He enters the concert placement of the Migros Culture Percentage, of which he is also a scholarship holder, as well as the Friedl-Wald and Colette Mosetti foundations. He participated in the final of the prestigious Kathleen Ferrier Competition in London and was also a finalist of the Young Classical Artist Trust in 2022. He won the English Song Prize in 2020, Second Prize and Audience Prize at the Kattenburg Competition in 2019, Third Prize and all Special Prizes in 2022, and Second Prize at the Somerset Song Prize. Future engagements include SongStudio 2023 at Carnegie Hall in New York with Renée Fleming, a recital series in England and Canada with pianist Cole Knutson for the Oxford Lieder Festival, the role of Maximilian in Bernstein’s Candide at the Opéra de Lausanne, and a revival of My Fair Lady.
At the Opéra de Lausanne: My fair Lady (2015), La Belle de Cadix (Route Lyrique 2016), L’Orfeo (2016), La vie parisienne (2016), Amahl et les visiteurs du soir (2017), Les chevaliers de la table ronde (Route Lyrique 2019), Dédé (Route Lyrique 2021) and Candide (2022).
Franco-Swiss tenor Maxence Billiemaz studies singing at the Haute école de musique in Geneva. He has appeared on stage in roles such as. Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore) and Bastien (Bastien et Bastienne). He took part in recordings of Saint-Saëns’s Ascanio at the Grand Théâtre de Genève and Erlanger’s La Sorcière at Victoria Hall. He sings as soloist in ensembles such as Cappella Mediterranea, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, Chœur de Chambre de Na- mur, Orlando and Les Talens Lyriques. He also performs in musicals such as Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate (as Bill Calhoun) and John Kander’s Cabaret (as Clifford Bradshaw).
At the Opéra de Lausanne: Les Chevaliers de la Table ronde (Route Lyrique 2019), Dédé (Route Lyrique 2021), Werther (2022), My Fair Lady (2022), Cendrillon (2023) and Die Zauberflöte (2024).