Swiss born lyric tenor Gilbert-Michel Rolle made his Carnegie Hall debut
in 2003, returning to the world famous stage in 2005. Since then Mr. Rolle
has maintained an international agenda, with performances currently
scheduled through 2011.
The season of 2007-2008 offered a series of firsts for Mr. Rolle. Last spring,
he debuted at New York City’s Merkin Hall in a solo concert with orchestra
conducted by Antony Geralis. Additionally in May, Mr. Rolle performed a
Rachmaninov program for the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation, and was
honored as a guest artist on its roster. But the tenor’s favorite item on his
recent professional agenda is the New York release of his debut CD, Musical
Voyage. The disc, recorded in New York at Town Hall with piano, string
quartet and clarinet was recently released at Barnes & Noble-Lincoln Center.
Musical Voyage chronicles in song Mr. Rolle’s foremost professional and
cultural influences since he began his studies in Switzerland at the
University of Fribourg. In addition to compositions by Carissimi, Caldara,
Schubert, Fauré, Lalo and Duparc, the recording features five “old American
songs” by Aaron Copland and American Spirituals. Thus, Mr. Rolle
embraces five distinct musical styles, and four languages. The tenor, a
published poet, has a love of language and literature which always
influences and informs his repertoire.
Musical Voyage was well received by critics, and Mr. Rolle has recently
been interviewing on U.S. radio stations from New York to Las Vegas. In
August 2007 he appeared on nationally syndicated television show The
Dennis Bono Show. After previewing the CD on Swiss National Radio in
December, Mr. Rolle is scheduled to return to Europe in Summer 2009 for a
promotional tour sponsored by record retailer FNAC.
Gilbert-Michel Rolle began his musical journey singing music he heard in
concert or on the radio in Rueyres-St-Laurent, Switzerland. His youthful,
eclectic repertoire included Bach Cantatas and Fauré’s melodies, but also
contemporary songs from Jacques Brel and Yves Montand. His family
encouraged his musical talent as it became evident it was his calling. He
began piano studies and formal vocal training at the Fribourg Conservatory.
After Mr. Rolle received his Masters degree at the University of Fribourg, he
moved to Paris and enrolled at La Sorbonne where he earned an additional
Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies in 19th C. Paris Opera. Concurrently, he
studied at L’Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris while working on his vocal
technique with Marie-Henriette Dejean and Peter Gottlieb of the
Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Paris. When the tenor won first
prize in the Leopold Bellan Vocal Competition, this honor propelled his
career forward, leading to recitals, concerts, opera and oratorio roles all over
Europe. His charm and elegant stature were not lost on the world outside the
classical mileu; in Paris Mr. Rolle also worked as a model on the fashion
runways of some of the world’s leading designers including Yves Saint
Laurent.
When Mr. Rolle arrived in the United States, his first stop was San Francisco
where he worked with James Schwabacher, co-founder of the Merola Opera
Program. While maintaining a growing concert schedule in Europe, he
performed frequently with San Francisco orchestras, and eventually moved
to New York City to make his Carnegie Hall debut.
Mr. Rolle is frequently featured on Swiss National Television and has been
profiled on American and Russian networks as well. His calendar for the
season 2009-2010 includes upcoming concerts in Washington, D.C., New
York City . In 2009, he will tour Europe with a series of concerts promoting
his CD Musical Voyage. Mr. Rolle is currently preparing a new recording
with an increased array of musical styles.
Gilbert-Michel Rolle is a resident of New York City.
Musical Voyage (Centaurus Classics™ 2007) is distributed by twelve online
companies including CDBaby, Apple iTunes and Napster, and in selected
FNAC and Barnes and Noble retail locations. Musical Voyage is also
available through Mr. Rolle’s website at:
www.gilbertrolle.com