TENOR
Geoffrey
Degives
The light-lyric belgian tenor Geoffrey Degives obtained a Master’s degree in Singing at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and was a finalist of the 25th International Singing Competition of Clermont-Ferrand. He was a member of the Dutch National Opera Academy in Amsterdam where he sang the roles of Albert Herring (Albert Herring), Nemorino (L’Elisir d’Amore), Tito (La Clemenza di Tito) and Le Mari (Les mamelles de Tirésias).
Since 2011 Geoffrey Degives sings various roles, including Dorvil (La Scala di Seta), Florival (L’Amant Jaloux), Tamino (Die Zauberflöte), Le Capitaine Sylvio (Le Docteur Miracle), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Prince Paul (La Grande Duchesse de Gérolstein) at the Opéra-Théâtre of Clermont-Ferrand, Padre/Barber (Man of La Mancha) at the Royal Flemish Theater in Brussels, co-produced by La Monnaie/De Munt.
In 2021, he made his debut at the Opera Royal de Wallonie in the role of Hirsute in Lionel Polis’s Ursule et Hirsute.
Enjoying a natural comic talent for Opera Buffa and Operetta, Geoffrey is particularly fond of Jacques Offenbach’s repertoire from which he sang many roles. In his quest for a broader representation of the comic repertoire, he also regularly appears with the conductor Stijn Saveniers and Volksopera both on stage and in live-streaming (Morceaux détachés).
On the opera stage he sang with conductors such as Richard Egarr, Bas Wiegers, Jonathan Berman, Kenneth Montgomery, Amaury Du Closel, Ayrton Desimpelaere, Jeroen Weierink to name a few and created roles with directors such as Floris Visser, Alexander Oliver, Sybrand van der Werf, Javier Lopez Piñon, Elsina Jansen, Armand Delcampe, Pierre Thirion-Vallet and Vincent Dujardin.
As a versatile singer Geoffrey performs in recitals and concerts including Elias (Mendelssohn), Requiem (Mozart), Oratorio de Noël (Saint-Saëns), Le Poème de l’amour et de la mer (Chausson), Tre Sonetti del Petrarca (Liszt), Die schöne Magelone Op.33 (Brahms), Ode an die Freude (Beethoven), Liederkreis Op.24 (Schumann), La Petite Messe Solennelle (Rossini), Stabat Mater (Scarlatti & Pärt), Serenade op.31 (Britten), Le Roi David (Honegger), Misa Criolla (Ramirez), Carmina Burana (Orff) and in a considerable number of major works by Haendel and J.S. Bach.
Geoffrey was a guest at the Royal Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Zénith (Caen), Théâtre de l’Archipel (Perpignan), Palais des Festivals (Cannes), Théâtre des Sablons (Neuilly-sur-Seine), Opera Ghent, Arsenal (Metz), St-Marylebone Church & Kings Place (London), Johannes Kyrka (Stockholm), Philharmonic Hall (Kiev), House of Parliament (Singapore), Teatro Español (Madrid), Teatro Solis (Uruguay) as well as in many festivals in Belgium, Germany, England, France, Holland, Malaysia, Thaïland and the Philippines.
Future engagements include Frédéric in Ambroise Thomas’s Mignon with conductor Frédéric Chaslin and director Vincent Boussard at the Opera Royal de Wallonie, tenor solo in Beethoven’s 9th Symphony (Ode an die Freude) with the Mendelssohn Ensemble and Evangelist in Bach’s St. John’s Passion.