Jean-Kristof Bouton: From Bench to Bravo!
Ah, Jean-Kristof Bouton, a man whose journey from the lovely Basses-Laurentides region to the grand opera houses of Europe is nothing short of… well, an opera itself! You know, while most children are busy jamming to bops that even a goldfish could bop along to, young Jean-Kristof was in his little Mirabel abode, serenading the family with tunes by Caruso and Guelfucci. Talk about a home with a soundtrack that could give the Vatican a run for its money!
An Adventurer at Heart
To kick off his career, he didn’t just pick a convenient route—nope! He practically decided to take an express train to destiny. So there he goes at 18, dreaming of singing like the *real* deal, not your average karaoke night. Well, not only did he not have any Romanian skills in his pocket, he might as well have been taking a trip to Mars for how lost he was in Bucharest! And let’s not forget, he arrived without a dime to his name!
Imagine our dear Jean-Kristof, sleeping on benches—one bench closer to the spotlight, but still a bench nonetheless. I mean, if I had a dollar for every time I had to sleep in an airport, I’d have—well, I’d have a lot of easyJet tickets, that’s for sure! But perseverance pays off, folks! He managed to swindle his way into the conservatory, proving that where there’s a will, there’s usually an emergency bagel and a very generous stranger.
The Romanian Renaissance
Ah, Romania! Known for its landscapes and… well, Dracula tours. But for Jean-Kristof, it was the culinary delights and the kind-hearted locals that made the experience magical! (Who needs garlic? It’s all about the sarmale, baby.) And amidst this beauty, he found love, marrying a Romanian actress who’s busy making her own waves in London. Just two artsy lovebirds, working their way through the tough opera circuit like it’s a competitive game of musical chairs!
Operatic Villainy
Now, let’s talk roles. Jean-Kristof has taken on not just one, but twenty villain roles! I swear, if there’s a “Most Likely to Play a Bastard” award in the opera world, he’d win it faster than you can say ‘scarpia.’ And there he is, mining his inner villain with a heart of gold. Bet he walks down the street like he just stole the last croissant from the bakery. “Surprisingly pleasant” is his vibe, but clearly he’s very good at acting!
The Grand Return to Quebec
And now, fast forward to a lovely autumn at the Grand Théâtre de Québec, where he’ll star in *Le Comte Ory*. Talk about coming full circle! In a story about medieval hanky-panky during the Crusades, nobody’s more excited than *Rimbaud* here! You see, he’s sort of the one who sets the stage for all the shenanigans. Let’s be honest, with a role that allows you to create chaos without repercussions, isn’t that every child’s fantasy? “Look, Ma! I’m preparing the stage for an opera of deception!”
A Demanding but Rewarding Art
Now, before you think it’s all glamour and glitter, Jean-Kristof reminds us that opera is a physically demanding gig. Forget about the clichés of decadent living—this man’s got routines! He exercises his vocal cords like they’re about to drop the hottest album of 2024! He doesn’t just warm up; he gives the performance of a lifetime even before he gets to the first note!
Ultimately, Jean-Kristof is just a lucky chap who gets to sing for a living. But don’t be fooled; he doesn’t take it for granted. He hopes to impress audiences and leave them emotional. Let’s be real, folks, if an opera can make you laugh, cry, and remind you of your missed dinner plans all in one go, it deserves an award in its own right!
So here’s to Jean-Kristof Bouton—an adventurer who sang his way into the world of opera, proving that even a little ruckus is worth the price of admission. Just remember, if you think your life’s a mess, there’s always someone out there mastering Scarpia while couch-surfing in Europe!
Originally from the Basses-Laurentides region, Jean-Kristof Bouton became interested in opera singing very early on, at an age when young people preferred to hum pop tunes rather than tunes by Caruso and Guelfucci, who regularly played in the family household in Mirabel.
As long as he can remember, Jean-Kristof has always wanted to sing. This is how he embarked on the lyrical art with the teachings of the soprano Cécile Vallée-Jalbert then during his schooling at the Vincent-d’Indy school.
By choosing to pursue a career as an opera singer, the young Mirabellois did not, however, take an easy path. An adventurer at heart, a decision taken on the fly would completely change his destiny despite a few pitfalls at the start.
Photo Queen Side
The opera singer was visiting Saint-Scholastique at the beginning of October,
where his parents live.
Departure for Romania
At the invitation of Cristian Mihailescu, at the time director of the Brasov Opera in Romania, Jean-Kristof decided to go to Romania to study opera at the National Conservatory of Music in Bucharest.
Supported by his parents, this is the young man who arrives in Bucharest at the age of 18 with the intention of enrolling at the renowned institution at the very last minute. Obviously too late. Never mind, his insistence will get the better of the management which agrees to admit the young Quebecer, who does not speak a word of Romanian.
And without a penny in his pocket. Having set foot on land in the Czech Republic (Canada does not offer a direct flight to Bucharest) he had to sleep on a bench for a few nights before an attendant was generous enough to pay the insufficient part of the train ticket to Bucharest .
Jean-Kristof says that the management of the conservatory hosted him free of charge during his first year of studies and that he had to sing in restaurants to survive.
But the young man was determined and worked so hard that he got a scholarship the following year and then got a few paid contracts.
It was through sound that he learned Romanian, in addition to adding English and Italian to French, a language commonly spoken as a second language in Romania.
Successful start
From Romania, the Mirabellois singer remembers magnificent landscapes, tasty traditional food, the generosity of a people in addition to having gained an in-law thanks to the one who became his wife, a Romanian actress who is pursuing her career in London, where the couple settled in 2019.
After the conservatory and the master’s degree in opera, the opera singer’s career took off, and especially in Europe given the long tradition of this art on the Old Continent.
For 20 years, Jean-Kristof has been walking here and there, to the opera performances for which he is recruited. No less than twenty roles so far.
Because singing opera also includes stage interpretation in order to ensure the unfolding of a story against a backdrop of classical musicality: Rossini, Tosca, La Traviata.
He is often given villain roles, he says. This is surprising given his attitude, which suggests a bright and benevolent temperament.
Photo Queen Side
Jean-Kristof Bouton played Scarpia in 2022, the role of which he
always dreamed of.
Scarpia and the others
However, the reality is quite different, he confides, because the insecurity of a career led in “freelance” mode is never far away. But this is the price to pay for a passion.
However, his contagious passion has been beneficial to him since it contributes to the excellence of his interpretations and his growing reputation. This is how he played THE ROLE that he desperately wanted to play one day or another.
“I’m very lucky because my favorite role was Scarpia, and I had the chance to start in Scarpia two years ago,” he emphasizes.
First opera in Quebec
This fall, the name of Jean-Kristof Bouton is among the eight artists participating in the production Le Comte Ory, which will be presented at the Grand Théâtre de Québec, between October 26 and November 2.
For this opera which will feature the music of Rossini, Jean-Kristof will slip into the costume of Rimbaud. In the midst of the Crusades, Count Ory took advantage of the absence of the knights to seduce their wives, disguised as a hermit.
“Me, I’m a bit like the Barber of Seville; I make it easier; I’m the one presenting it. I prepare the entire scene to facilitate his adventures,” indicates the future Rimbaud.
Demanding job
Jean-Kristof Bouton works hard to succeed in this unique career that he has chosen. “Singing is very physical. It’s very, very hard. It requires regular training, paying attention to what you eat, exercising your voice every day. Because the voice is a muscle that is very, very flexible. And if we don’t train it, it loses its flexibility, its strength, it loses everything,” explains the artist.
This is the first time he will have the opportunity to sing in Quebec and he hopes that other opportunities will present themselves.
He considers himself privileged. “I am grateful. I’m one of the lucky ones to be able to make a living just being an opera singer. I would like to be able to tour enough to be able to come see my family more often, to take a month a year to come see my family without being worried about what will happen after that in the year.
“But what’s most important is to really do everything I can to get these people who have traveled to come see me. There are several who come to see us. We really need to impress them. If we do that, we don’t save money. When we gave them emotions, when we made them cry, when we made them laugh, when we transported them, I think that’s the greatest compliment. Because if they come to hear beautiful music and we haven’t managed to transport them, that means that we didn’t give everything we had, I think,” concludes the artist Jean-Kristof Bouton.
