Nathalie Stutzmann

Nathalie Stutzmann (born 1965) is a contemporary French classical and opera singer, renowned for her contralto voice, and a notable orchestral conductor.

Born in Suresnes, Île-de-France, she first studied with her mother (soprano Christiane Stutzmann), then at Nancy Conservatoire and later at the Ecole d’Art Lyrique de l’Opéra de Paris, focusing on lied, under Hans Hotter's tutelage. She is well known for her interpretations of French mélodies and German lieder. Her repertoire includes major works of baroque, classical, romantic and 20th-century music. Stutzmann also plays piano, bassoon and is a chamber musician. Stutzmann debuted as a concert singer at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, 1985, in Bach's Magnificat (BWV 243). Her recital debut was the following year in Nantes. Some of her operatic performances have included: Ombra felice (Mozart's pasticcio), Radamisto (Handel), Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck) and Giulio Cesare (Handel). She has sung at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Royal Festival Hall / “BBC Proms”, Carnegie Hall, Musikverein, Mozarteum, the Concertgebouw, La Monnaie, the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, La Scala, the Opéra de Genève and the Berliner Philharmonie.

Stutzmann performs frequently for opera, concert, recital and recording. She began performing and recording with Swedish pianist Inger Södergren in 1994. She took part in the project of Ton Koopman and the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir to record Bach's complete vocal works. Nathalie Stutzmann is Chevalier des Arts et Lettres and continues (as of 2007) to perform around the world and teach master classes.

In 2009 Stutzmann founded the chamber orchestra Orfeo 55, which she directs, and performs more widely as an orchestral conductor.

There are two types of performers: those who strive their whole lives to reach a point which displays to full effect the difficulty of their art – they have their audience; then there are those who try to make what they do seem effortless – I belong to that category. It is less of a spectacle perhaps but I prefer that the audience be able to go to the essence of the music. I don't want them to stop at their impression of the performance but to lose themselves in the beauty of the music.

She has over fifty recordings on labels including EMI, Erato, Deutsche Grammophon, Harmonia Mundi, Philips, RCA and Sony and Virgin. Some of her most admired recordings are of Schumann Lieder, Chausson and Poulenc melodies, Mahler Symphony No. 2 with Seiji Ozawa, Vivaldi’s Nisi Dominus and Schubert's Winterreise for Calliope. In 2014 Stutzmann, with Orfeo 55, made a new exclusive contract with Erato Records.

She received many awards, including the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Diapason d’Or, Japan Record Academy Award, and a Grammy Award.

On her YouTube channel, there are several videos of her while she is conducting works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Strauss, Mozart etc.