French Protestant Church of Washington DC

Concert tickets

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1646362982/lv0n4nsvjiglo9giccde.jpg" style="width: 358px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib"> All proceeds go to support the&nbsp;<a href="https://thefrench.church/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">French Protestant Church of Washington DC</a>.Our Church was established in 1927, serving french speaking christians from all around the world. The community is going through difficult times with the pandemic, booking a concert ticket is a great way to support its mission while attending a great musical event ! Covid vaccination is mandatory, a contact tracing form will be sent to you by email with the confirmation of your reservation Margaret Polglaze&nbsp;is an operatic soprano from Washington DC. This will be her third appearance at the French Embassy as a soloist. This past October, she sang as a soloist in Monte Carlo for the Prince Albert II Foundation&rsquo;s climate gala which featured music by acclaimed composer Tim Janis. Past roles include Manja in Maritza by Emmerich K&aacute;lm&aacute;n, Jennie in Down in the Valley by Kurt Weill, Veronica in Doctor Miracle (Bizet), and Una Donna in Le Nozze di Figaro. In March, she will be covering the role of Marguerite in Gounod&rsquo;s Faust with the Washington Opera Society. She has performed extensively as an ensemble member for the Washington Opera Society including in productions of L&rsquo;elisir d&rsquo;amore, Carmen, and operatic scenes concerts featuring the music of Verdi and Donizetti. Matthew Payne, English-American baritone, is currently a member of the Maryland Opera Studio, completing his M.M on a full scholarship at the University of Maryland and studying with bass-baritone Kevin Short. He concurrently received Bachelors degrees in vocal performance and in biology from Oberlin Conservatory and College. Last summer Matthew was a young artist at Central City Opera, where he covered the role of Marullo and Count Monterone in Verdi&rsquo;s Rigoletto. While there he also gave a solo recital as a part of their &ldquo;Al Fresco&rdquo; series. During the 2021/22 season Matthew performed the role of Papageno in Mozart&rsquo;s Die Zauberfl&ouml;te (Maryland Opera Studio), premiered the role of Aaron in Nailah Nombeko&rsquo;s new opera Sunder (Annapolis Opera and Maryland Opera Studio), and will be portraying Joe Harland in John Musto&rsquo;s Later the Same Evening in April (Maryland Opera Studio).&nbsp;Payne has previously performed as a baritone fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center (2019). While there, he participated in a masterclass with Ren&eacute;e Fleming (broadcast on The Today Show), performed Othmar Schoeck&rsquo;s Notturno with the New Fromm Players, and sang Schlendrian in Bach&rsquo;s Coffee Cantata with conductors John Harbison and Killian Farrell. Payne has also been an artist at the Chautauqua Institute (2018), where he studied with the esteemed Marlena Malas.&nbsp;Payne&rsquo;s previous roles include: Roberto (cover) in Mozart&rsquo;s La finta giardiniera (Maryland Opera Studio), Billy Bigelow in Carousel (Skaneateles Theater), Mr. Gobineau in Menotti&rsquo;s The Medium (Oberlin Opera Theater), Charlie in Jake Heggie&rsquo;s Opera Three Decembers (an Oberlin collaboration concert with librettist Gene Scheer and conductor Joseph Mechavich), Executor in John Kander&rsquo;s workshopped production of The Enchanted, Victor in Cabaret (Oberlin College Theater), Lysander in Purcell&rsquo;s Fairy Queen (Opera Neo), and Massetto (cover) in Don Giovanni (Opera Neo).&nbsp;As a soloist, Payne has performed in concerts with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Mikael Eliasen, the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestra (baritone soloist in Faure&rsquo;s Requiem), the Society for New Music, and the Oberlin Baroque Ensemble. Payne has also been a finalist in the Sigma Alpha Iota Competition and a semi-finalist in the Orpheus Vocal Competition. <p dir="ltr" id="isPasted" style='box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>Simon Charette is a sought-after collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and conductor based in Washington, DC. He has worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as Kevin Short and Brandie Sutton, from the Metropolitan Opera and Kristin Sampson, from the New York City Opera. He has been recently appointed General Manager of the Washington Opera Society. He has served as assistant conductor of the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra in Annapolis, MD, and chorus master &amp; assistant conductor for the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra and Chorus in Leonardtown, MD. In the summer of 2022, he will be a conducting fellow for the National Music Festival, in Chestertown, MD.&nbsp;<p dir="ltr" style='box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>Trained as a pianist and as an opera singer, Simon recently worked as chorus master and pianist for the Washington Opera Society. Recent productions include Verdi&#39;s Aida, presented at the Egyptian Embassy, Bizet&rsquo;s Carmen, presented at the Embassy of France in Washington, DC, and Kalman&rsquo;s The Gypsy Princess presented at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington, DC.&nbsp;<p dir="ltr" style='box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>Simon is the artistic director of the Rochambeau Choir and the Choir of the Embassy of France in Washington. He recently conducted both ensembles for French President Emmanuel Macron&#39;s address in Washington, DC, in April 2018.&nbsp;<p dir="ltr" style='box-sizing: inherit; margin-top: 0px !important; margin-bottom: 0px !important; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: "Open Sans"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;'>After receiving a Master&rsquo;s degree from the Universit&eacute; de Montr&eacute;al, he furthered his training at the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy (London, Ontario), at the American Institute for Musical Studies (Graz, Austria), and at the Accademia Europea dell&rsquo;Opera (Lucca, Italy). Simon teaches music at Rochambeau, the French International School in Bethesda, MD and is the Music Director of the French Protestant Church of Washington, DC. The Rochambeau Choir is open to all people living in the Washington, DC area. We sing a wide variety of choral music from all around the world, with a special affinity for the French repertoire. We perform annually for several events related to Rochambeau, the French International School, and to the French community of Washington, DC: concerts, F&ecirc;te de la musique (an annual celebration of music that takes place in cities worldwide) as well as formal events with the Choir of the French Embassy.

<img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/hxn9dbuhd/image/upload/v1646362982/lv0n4nsvjiglo9giccde.jpg" style="width:358px;max-width:100%" /> All proceeds go to support the <a href="https://thefrench.church/" target="_blank">French Protestant Church of Washington DC</a>.Our Church was established in 1927, serving french speaking christians from all around the world. The community is going through difficult times with the pandemic, booking a concert ticket is a great way to support its mission while attending a great musical event ! Covid vaccination is mandatory, a contact tracing form will be sent to you by email with the confirmation of your reservation Margaret Polglaze is an operatic soprano from Washington DC. This will be her third appearance at the French Embassy as a soloist. This past October, she sang as a soloist in Monte Carlo for the Prince Albert II Foundation’s climate gala which featured music by acclaimed composer Tim Janis. Past roles include Manja in Maritza by Emmerich Kálmán, Jennie in Down in the Valley by Kurt Weill, Veronica in Doctor Miracle (Bizet), and Una Donna in Le Nozze di Figaro. In March, she will be covering the role of Marguerite in Gounod’s Faust with the Washington Opera Society. She has performed extensively as an ensemble member for the Washington Opera Society including in productions of L’elisir d’amore, Carmen, and operatic scenes concerts featuring the music of Verdi and Donizetti. Matthew Payne, English-American baritone, is currently a member of the Maryland Opera Studio, completing his M.M on a full scholarship at the University of Maryland and studying with bass-baritone Kevin Short. He concurrently received Bachelors degrees in vocal performance and in biology from Oberlin Conservatory and College. Last summer Matthew was a young artist at Central City Opera, where he covered the role of Marullo and Count Monterone in Verdi’s Rigoletto. While there he also gave a solo recital as a part of their “Al Fresco” series. During the 2021/22 season Matthew performed the role of Papageno in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Maryland Opera Studio), premiered the role of Aaron in Nailah Nombeko’s new opera Sunder (Annapolis Opera and Maryland Opera Studio), and will be portraying Joe Harland in John Musto’s Later the Same Evening in April (Maryland Opera Studio). Payne has previously performed as a baritone fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center (2019). While there, he participated in a masterclass with Renée Fleming (broadcast on The Today Show), performed Othmar Schoeck’s Notturno with the New Fromm Players, and sang Schlendrian in Bach’s Coffee Cantata with conductors John Harbison and Killian Farrell. Payne has also been an artist at the Chautauqua Institute (2018), where he studied with the esteemed Marlena Malas. Payne’s previous roles include: Roberto (cover) in Mozart’s La finta giardiniera (Maryland Opera Studio), Billy Bigelow in Carousel (Skaneateles Theater), Mr. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium (Oberlin Opera Theater), Charlie in Jake Heggie’s Opera Three Decembers (an Oberlin collaboration concert with librettist Gene Scheer and conductor Joseph Mechavich), Executor in John Kander’s workshopped production of The Enchanted, Victor in Cabaret (Oberlin College Theater), Lysander in Purcell’s Fairy Queen (Opera Neo), and Massetto (cover) in Don Giovanni (Opera Neo). As a soloist, Payne has performed in concerts with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Mikael Eliasen, the Oberlin Conservatory Orchestra (baritone soloist in Faure’s Requiem), the Society for New Music, and the Oberlin Baroque Ensemble. Payne has also been a finalist in the Sigma Alpha Iota Competition and a semi-finalist in the Orpheus Vocal Competition. Simon Charette is a sought-after collaborative pianist, vocal coach, and conductor based in Washington, DC. He has worked with internationally acclaimed artists such as Kevin Short and Brandie Sutton, from the Metropolitan Opera and Kristin Sampson, from the New York City Opera. He has been recently appointed General Manager of the Washington Opera Society. He has served as assistant conductor of the Chesapeake Youth Symphony Orchestra in Annapolis, MD, and chorus master &amp; assistant conductor for the Southern Maryland Youth Orchestra and Chorus in Leonardtown, MD. In the summer of 2022, he will be a conducting fellow for the National Music Festival, in Chestertown, MD. Trained as a pianist and as an opera singer, Simon recently worked as chorus master and pianist for the Washington Opera Society. Recent productions include Verdi's Aida, presented at the Egyptian Embassy, Bizet’s Carmen, presented at the Embassy of France in Washington, DC, and Kalman’s The Gypsy Princess presented at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Washington, DC. Simon is the artistic director of the Rochambeau Choir and the Choir of the Embassy of France in Washington. He recently conducted both ensembles for French President Emmanuel Macron's address in Washington, DC, in April 2018. After receiving a Master’s degree from the Université de Montréal, he furthered his training at the Canadian Operatic Arts Academy (London, Ontario), at the American Institute for Musical Studies (Graz, Austria), and at the Accademia Europea dell’Opera (Lucca, Italy). Simon teaches music at Rochambeau, the French International School in Bethesda, MD and is the Music Director of the French Protestant Church of Washington, DC. The Rochambeau Choir is open to all people living in the Washington, DC area. We sing a wide variety of choral music from all around the world, with a special affinity for the French repertoire. We perform annually for several events related to Rochambeau, the French International School, and to the French community of Washington, DC: concerts, Fête de la musique (an annual celebration of music that takes place in cities worldwide) as well as formal events with the Choir of the French Embassy.

French Protestant Church of Washington DC

The French Church Benefit Concert

4500 Massachusetts avenue NW Washington DC

Concert tickets

US$40

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