Christopher Fecteau, Artistic Director of dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, enjoys a multi-faceted musical life in New York City as a vocal coach, pianist, conductor and arranger. In his Manhattan coaching studio, he specializes in the Italian operatic repertoire and role-preparation for singers at all professional levels. He has prepared singers for engagements at most of the major companies on the East Coast, including the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera and Florida Grand Opera, as well as LA Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, the Bayrische Staatsoper, Bremer Opera, Opera North (UK), Cologne Opera, and many others.

Conducting engagements have taken him to Opera Illinois, Sarasota Opera, Opera Theatre of Philadelphia, Harrisburg Opera, Opera in the Heights (Houston), South Florida Opera Company and on a tour of the Czech Republic. Local assignments include Bronx Opera, NYMVAE (New York Metro Vocal Arts Ensemble), Amato Opera, Encompass Opera, and Opera Company of Brooklyn. Maestro Fecteau counts over 50 operas in his repertoire, including several world and regional premieres. In 2000 he founded the dell'Arte Opera Ensemble, dedicated to providing high quality artistic experience for young singers and low-cost, highly focused operatic performances for modern audiences.

As a pianist, notable recital appearances include a salon-style program with Sherrill Milnes for Orlando Opera, an appearance on the New York Philharmonic "Salon" series, the world premier of Valerie Saalbach's song cycle Catarina to Camoens at the 2003 International Festival of Women Composers (FL), and an all-German program with the Longmeadow (MA) Chamber Music Society with his wife, soprano Karen Rich. The duo also performed a recital in Innsbruck, Austria, including European premieres of Lawrence Rush's and Valerie Saalbach's settings of poetry of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, as well as works of Alma Mahler, and Arnold Schoenberg. The program was subsequently reprised, along with premieres of a new song cycle by Ms. Saalbach and two more songs by Mr. Rush, at the Donnell Library in New York.

One of Christopher’s particular interests is the re-examination of operas and orchestral songs for their possibilities in chamber settings, both as an artistic pursuit, and as a pragmatic approach, making these works accessible to companies with modest resources. He was commissioned by Skylight Opera Theatre (Milwaukee, WI) to create a new performing version of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, adapting the original music and Shakespeare's text and story line into one another in a compelling two-act format which the Milwaukee Sentinel called “a miracle.” Other arranging projects have included chamber music reductions of Ariade auf Naxos for dell'Arte and Singing Actor's Atelier and I Capuleti e i Montecchi for Corleone Opera (just six and seven players, respectively). In addition, he has created chamber music arrangements of songs of Alma Mahler and Lawrence Rush, commissioned by Longmeadow Chamber Music Society (MA), and numerous arrangements of international lullabies for the recent album release by soprano Courtenay Budd entitled Sleep is Behind the Door.

 

Artistic Director's Blog: Voce di  Coach-e