He studied double bass, then voice at the conservatory of Toulouse first, then at the Conservatoire National in Paris, where he
was a pupil of, among others, Charles Panzéra and Louis Musy. Opéra-Comique debut in 1959 as Beppe, Opéra
debut the following year as Gonzalve (L'heure espagnole).
He sticked to the comprimario repertory, and became successful all over France, not only at the two large Paris opera theaters,
but also in Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse, Rouen, Nancy, Lille; and in Strasbourg, where he was a long-term member of the
troupe from 1974 onwards. Internationally, he appeared at La Monnaie in Brussels, at the São Carlos in Lisbon, in Geneva,
Liège, Monte Carlo, Chicago, San Francisco, Venice, at the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals. He was also very active
on the concert podium.
A prominent place in his repertory was reserved for 20th century music, including several world premieres (of ephemeral works);
other important roles were the Servants in Les contes d'Hoffmann, Pang and Monostatos.
His career was unusually long; at age 80, he was still regularly performing.
Reference 1: Kutsch & Riemens; reference 2: Nice-Matin, 18 March 2012
