Paul-AntoineBénos-Djian

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  • Countertenor

About Paul-Antoine

French counter-tenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian is one of the most exciting young vocal talents of our time. Formerly a HSBC Révélation award-winner at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, he is a graduate of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles and Conservatoire de Paris.

Highlights of the 2024/25 season include performances of Polifemo as Ulisse at Opéra de Lille and Château de Versailles and Endiminone in La Calisto at the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence. On the concert platform, Paul-Antoine will sing the title role in a tour of Tamerlano under the baton of René Jacobs with the Freiburger Barockorchester, Trasemede in Merope at the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, along with performances with Le Poème Harmonique and Café Zimmermann.

He recently made his Moscow debut with the Bolshoi Theatre as Polinesso Ariodante, conducted by Gianluca Capuano, and sang Didymus Theodora with Il Pomo d’Oro, alongside Joyce DiDonato, Lisette Oropesa and Michael Spyres, at Theater an der Wien, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and La Scala, Milan, with a live recording to follow. Other highlights include Nireno Giulio Cesare, also at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées and Ottone L’incoronazione di Poppea for the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.

Paul-Antoine is based in Paris

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Contact

For availability and general enquiries:

Angelica Conner

Angelica Conner

Artist Manager
Charlotte Bateman

Charlotte Bateman

Assistant Artist Manager

Representation

Worldwide general management with Askonas Holt

Follow Paul-Antoine

Season Highlights

Oct 2024
Opéra de Lille
Polifemo (Ulysse) Emmanuelle Haïm (conductor) Bruno Ravella (director)
Dec 2024
Opéra Royal de Versailles
Polifemo (Ulysse) Stefan Plewniak (conductor) Justin Way (director)
Feb 2025
European tour
La Merope (Trasimede) Francesco Corti (conductor) Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (orchestra) Venues include Gran Teatre del Liceu, Teatro Real, Staatsoper Berlin and Theater an der Wien
May 2025
European tour
Tamerlano (title role) René Jacobs (conductor) Freiburger Barockorchester (orchestra) Venues include Freiburg Konzerthaus, Berliner Philharmoniker, Palau de la Música Catalana, Teatro Real and Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia

Video

Photos

Selected Repertoire

Britten

Midsummer’s night Dream (Oberon)

Cavalli

Erismena (Clerio Moro)

Haendel

Rinaldo (title role)   •   Rodelinda (Unulfo)   •   Theodora (Didymus)   •   Teseo (Egeo)   •   Agrippina (Ottone)   •   Giulio Cesare (title role)   •   Giulio Cesare (Tolomeo)   •   Giulio Cesare (Nireno)   •   Semele (Athamas)   •   Giulio Cesare (Nireno)   •   Ariodante (Polinesso)   •   Poro (Gandarte)   •   Tolomeo,rè D’egitto (Alessandro)

Monteverdi

Incoronazione di Poppea (Ottone)

Mozart

Mitridate (Farnace)

Sacrati

Finta Pazza (Achille)

Scarlatti

Sedecia (title role)   •   San Filippo Neri (Fede)   •   Il Primo Omicidio (Voce di Dio)

Stradella

San Giovanni Battista (title role)

News

Press

  • Porpora - Polifemo (Ulisse)

    Strasbourg
    Feb 2024

    • In Ulisse, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian stands out with a tone of more frank lyrical seduction, and attention to the theatrical effectiveness of singing. The French countertenor confirms himself as one of the great figures of the new generation, intelligently consolidating the construction of his repertoire.

    • The two heroes of the day are nonetheless the two countertenors of the cast. In the role of Ulysses formerly conceived for Senesino,Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian , unmistakable under his silicone biceps, deploys a warm, valiant and richly timbred instrument, admirably colored in the “ Fortunate pecorelle ”, with rapid and alert vocalization in the airs of virtuosity.

    • As Ulysses, the excellent Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian almost steals the spotlight with his more virile and sonorous tone, his strong stage involvement, his vocal ease and his obvious pleasure in singing and playing.

    • Vocally, we are on the heights with Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian (Ulisse) whose firm and assured timbre is coupled with an ability to nuance the line with a remarkable depth of meaning and color ( Core avvezzo al furore dell' armi ). Less fleshed out than the role of Acis, the Greek hero finds in this interpretation an infinity of means and thoughts which ends up focusing more attention than his alter ego.

    • We will also note the excellent performance of the second countertenor, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian , whose timbre is more virile, the harmonics richer, the sound volume well balanced.

    • his French counterpart Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian stands up to him in Acis, with a tone of astonishing beauty and projection, which earned him a real triumph during the salutes

  • Monteverdi - L'incoronazione di Poppea

    Aix-en-Provence Festival
    Jul 2022

    • Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian 's Othon is touching, in shorts. He is the character of the soliloquy, of the sad, worried soul, and who sincerely seeks to find his balance, his way of life, between his two loves. He relies for this on a countertenor instrument smoother than that of Néron, more shaded in its bases, and motorized by different speeds of vibrato which halo the key words of his text with great freedom.

    • Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian transforms its lines into a make-up daydream, open to soft and bouncy whispers. He crochets from the stitches he has already made himself. The fragility of tone is of exceptional dramatic accuracy, since the voice thinks through the verb.

    • Fabulous Ottone by Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian , a countertenor who showed the tenderness of a character that he only knows how to love.

    • Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian's Ottone, countertenor with a morbid and meaty voice, was moving.

    • Countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian portrays a very touching Ottone who offers us beautiful lamenting tunes.

    • Alone in the end, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian succeeds in making Ottone's wanderings palpable by the magic of a song that draws its wide Pantone from the word and the breath. It is by his example that the fruits will hold the promise of flowers that have blossomed sufficiently, however, to receive their legitimate share of applause when the curtain falls.

  • Handel - Theodora

    Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Paris
    Nov 2021

    • If he is not yet a star, he has everything to become one : the French countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian has a voice that makes all his tunes appear as so many summits of the score, by the naturalness of his song and by the touching character that his playing lends to the converted soldier Didymus.

    • Credibly inspired in the truest sense of the word, the devoted, soft, gallant, very colourful, agile countertenor Bénos-Dijans Didymus impressed. In unlenitated rebellion, he placed legal reason and loving consistency at the highest level of the stated orientation competence and maxim of action, all the more so the closer he became everything-more radiant to the prison, the partner, or worshipped the Lord.

  • Handel in concert

    Beaune Festival
    Jul 2021

    • Absolute in Handel, enchanting in Vivaldi or Albinoni : the French countertenor confirms a penetrating art and a unique personality. (...)  The strength of emotion of the evening comes as much from this art of making music together as from the magnificent interpretation of Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, discovered as the protagonist of the Rinaldo so seductive which turned in France in the winter of 2018 (...)  The success here is dazzling, which undoubtedly reveals in this young artist, with the modesty and simplicity of the greats, the rigorous art, the enchanting art of a young master, by the voice, by the spirit.

  • Stradella - San Giovanni Battista

    Jun 2021

    • Paul-Antoine Benos-Djian has a beautiful countertenor voice, full and even at both ends of his range, which he uses to superbly expressive effect

  • Scarlatti - II Primo Omicidio

    Salzburg
    May 2021

    • The divine figure of Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, former member of the Opéra Junior de Montpellier, immediately arouses admiration for his impeccable style and the intensity of his incarnation. Warm and homogeneous timbre throughout the tessitura, expressive intensity in vindictiveness (" Or di strage fraterna il suolo asperso ") as in forgiveness (" L'innocenza paccando perdeste "), the young French countertenor boldly flies over the difficulties of the role

  • Bach - Saint Matthew's Passion

    Leipzig
    Jun 2018

    • Mr. Haller’s forces were obviously well drilled, and several fine moments included the countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian’s moving account of the aria “Erbarme dich,” a plea for mercy on behalf of all humanity