Les Épopées

The company

Co-founded in 2018 by Stéphane Fuget and Claire Lefilliâtre, Les Épopées quickly established itself as a leading presence on the historically informed music scene. Both the French and international press regularly praise the ensemble’s concerts and recordings, highlighting the originality of its interpretative approach and the emotional power of its performances.

The lyric company Les Épopées takes its name from the great foundational narratives whose reading still inspires dreams today. Under the leadership of its conductor Stéphane Fuget, the ensemble weaves a musical journey of rich and moving vision, reaching beyond the boundaries of notation. Marked by great modernity, its sound world is unexpected and striking, carrying an emotional intensity to which it is difficult to remain indifferent.

Convinced of the value of combining established performers with young artists, the company brings together internationally renowned musicians and outstanding talents from the younger generation.

Les Épopées regularly perform on reknown French and international stages: in Austria (Vienna Konzerthaus, Theater an der Wien), Belgium (Bozar, Brussels), Germany (Berlin Philharmonie, Dortmund Konzerthaus, Potsdam…), Latvia (Great Amber Hall, Liepāja), Poland (Kraków, Gorczycki Festival), Norway (Barokkfest, Trondheim), Mexico (Mexico City, San Luis Potosí), Singapore (Esplanade), Japan (Sakura Hall in Tokyo, Kyoto, Sendai, Hiroshima…), China (Shanghai, Shenzhen, Jingdezhen), Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Cathédrale des Invalides, Arsenal de Metz, Opéra de Dijon, Capitole de Toulouse, Opéra de Montpellier, Grand Manège à Namur...

Les Épopées are deeply rooted in the Bourgogne–Franche-Comté region, their home region. The company has created its summer academy there under the direction of Claire Lefilliâtre, alongside its festival Au Cœur de l’Yonne.

Since 2020, Les Epopées have recorded numerous works in partnership with the Château de Versailles Spectacles label: the complete Grands Motets and Alceste by Lully, the complete operas of Monteverdi, Charpentier’s Airs de cour, and more recently Landi’s La Morte d’Orfeo (scheduled for release in November 2026) and Peri’s Euridice (due in spring 2027). The first volume of Lully’s Grands Motets was filmed for ARTE, and Monteverdi’s Orfeo for France.tv.
 

Les Épopées, an ensemble supported by the DRAC Bourgogne–Franche-Comté, regularly receives backing from the Yonne Department, the Bourgogne–Franche-Comté Regional Council, the intermunicipal and municipal authorities of the Greater Sénonais and Jovinien areas, the cities of Sens, Joigny, Saint-Julien and Gron, the Centre National de la Musique, Spedidam, the French Institute and the Fonds de dotation Transmission for the orchestra training. The ensemble is in residence with the City of Sens. Les Épopées also receive support from the Orange Foundation and the Charot Society, and are a member of FEVIS.

Stéphane Fuget

Stéphane Fuget is a harpsichordist, pianist and conductor.

He studied piano with Catherine Collard and Jean-Claude Pennetier, harpsichord with Christophe Rousset and Pierre Hantaï.

He was awarded a first prize for harpsichord and continuo at the Paris CNSM. He is a graduate of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and laureate of the 2001 International Harpsichord Competition in Bruges.

Stéphane Fuget spent his early professional years devoted to his career as a vocal coach in the world's greatest opera houses. Alongside conductors such as Christophe Rousset, Jean-Christophe Spinosi and Marc Minkovski, he worked on the greatest international stages: Staatsoper and Theater an der Wien (Vienna), DNO (Amsterdam), Liceu (Barcelona), La Monnaie (Brussels), Leipzig Opera, Royal Theatre of Drottningholm (Sweden), Lotte Concert Hall (Seoul), Palais Garnier, Opéra Bastille, Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), Capitole (Toulouse), Strasbourg Opera, Bordeaux, Rennes, Lille, Nancy, Montpellier, etc. Over the years this led to close ties with some of the world's most prestigious artists: Anne-Sophie von Otter, Jennifer Larmore, Véronique Gens, Sandrine Piau, Gaële Arquez, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Kurt Streit, Julian Prégardien, Jeremy Ovenden, Nathan Berg, Max Emanuel Cencic, Philippe Jaroussky…

Sophie Von Otter requested his presence as a specialist of French Baroque music for a production of Charpentier's Médée at Frankfurt Opera.

At the same time, he developed his career as a guest conductor. In this capacity he directed Emmanuelle Haïm's Le Concert d'Astrée at Lille Opera, The Magic Flute with Opelescences ensemble, Rameau's Les Paladins with the Joy Ballet Orchestra in Tokyo, Couperin's Leçons de Ténèbres with Versailles Opera Royal orchestra...

Inspired by his desire to work with young artists, he developed and transformed the vocal coaching and baroque opera classes at the CRR conservatoire in Paris, the only classes of their kind in France. In this way he was able to hone and develop his vision of baroque declamation and ornamentation in several productions: The Coronation of Poppea and Ulysses by Monteverdi, Semele and Rodelinda by Handel, La Calisto by Cavalli, Titus by Cesti, Psyché by Lully, Orfeo by Rossi, Le Jugement de Midas by Gretry, Euridice by Peri and the European revival of Ariane et Bacchus by Marais....

After many years researching repertoire and treatises, Stéphane Fuget, ever inquisitive and convinced that a new era of historical interpretation was dawning, decided to create his own ensemble, Les Epopées. He and his company offer a decidedly new vision of baroque interpretation.

Artists

Accompanying emerging young talent by providing opportunities to be heard in large-scale projects alongside internationally renowned artists is what makes Les Epopées an extraordinary human and artistic enterprise. As training and passing on experience are at the heart of Stéphane Fuget's project, a large proportion of the ensemble's artists used to be his students (47% of the singers and 40% of the instrumentalists), amongst the most talented of their generation. Les Epopées therefore help open the door to the professional world for young musicians and singers.

 

Les Epopées singers:

Caroline Arnaud*, Lili Aymonino*, Gwendoline Blondeel*, Jeanne Lefort*, Claire Lefilliâtre, Ileana Ortiz*, Lucy Page*, Marie Perbost, Kumi Sakamoto*, Marie Zaccarini*(sopranos) ; Ambroisine Bré*, Océane Deweirder*, Juliette Mars*, Anthea Pichanick, Lucile Richardot, Ayako Yukawa*, (mezzos)  ; Paul-Antoine Benos*, Filippo Mineccia (counter tenors)  ; Marco Angioloni*, Cyril Auvity, Pierre-Antoine Chaumien,  Valerio Contaldo, Clément Debieuvre*, Serge Goubioud, Fabien Hyon, Marc Mauillon, Sébastien Obrecht, Lisandro Pelegrina*, Jörg Schneider, Mathias Vidal, (tenors)  ; Benoit Arnould, Luc Bertin-Hugault*, Renaud Bres*, Geoffroy Buffière, Thierry Cartier, Frédéric Caton, Vlad Crosman*, Luigi De Donato, Renaud Delaigue, Olivier Gourdy*, Imanol Iraola (baritones and basses)

 

Les Epopées instrumentalists:

Josef Zak*, Yuna Lee*, Maud Sinda*, Louise Ayrton*, Youn-young Kim*, Koji Yoda*, Charlotte Grattard, Hélène Decoin, Sabine Cormier, Benjamin Chénier, Jasmine Eudeline (violin)  ; Maialen Loth*, Satryo Yudomartono*, Leïla Pradel*, Delphine Grimbert, Céline Cavagnac, Laurence Martinaud, Diane Omer* (viola)  ; Marjolaine Cambon, Alice Coquart, Francois Gallon, Albéric Boullenois, Julien Hainsworth, Marc Alomar* (bass violin and cello)  ; Claire Gautrot, Mathias Ferré*, Lucile Boulanger, Agnès Boissonnot-Guilbault*, Marie-Suzanne de Loye (viola de gamba)  ; Ludovic Coutineau, Gautier Blondel (double bass), Laura Duthuillé, Luc Marchal (oboe and recorder)  ; Adrien Mabire, Benoit Tainturier (cornett) ; Marie Hervé, Bertrand Blondet, Frédéric Naël (flute)  ; Anaïs Ramage, Arnaud Condé*, Mélanie Flahaut (bassoon); Volny Hostiou (serpent)  ; Claire Antonini, Pierre Rindeknecht*, Nicolas Wattinne* (theorbo)  ; Caroline Lieby* (harp)  ; Marie Van Rhijn*, Loris Barrucand* (harpsichord and organ).

* Singers and instrumentalists who studied in Stéphane Fuget's class at the Paris CRR (interpretation classes, baroque opera and vocal coaching) or who sang under his direction in joint projects (Paris CRR/CNSM or CRR/CMBV), or students he met in courses or academies (Royaumont/La Réole).