Philippe Jaroussky is a French countertenor born 13 February 1978 in Maisons-Laffitte, who began his musical training on violin and piano before turning to singing after hearing the Martinique-born countertenor Fabrice di Falco. He studied at the Early Music Faculty of the Conservatoire de Paris and, from 1996, privately with Nicole Fallien, and in 2002 co-founded the period-instrument ensemble Artaserse. Jaroussky performs entirely in falsetto despite a natural baritone speaking voice, and has built a wide-ranging discography for labels including Virgin Classics, Naïve, and Erato, in frequent partnership with conductor Jean-Christophe Spinosi’s Ensemble Matheus and with Christina Pluhar’s L’Arpeggiata.

Widely regarded as one of the leading countertenors of his generation, Jaroussky has won multiple Victoires de la Musique Classique and ECHO Klassik awards, including two “Best Singer of the Year” titles, and had the asteroid 332183 Jaroussky named in his honour in 2006. In 2017 he founded the Académie musicale Philippe Jaroussky at La Seine Musicale to train young singers, and his crossover appeal was underscored by his 2016 performance of David Bowie’s “Always Crashing in the Same Car” at the BBC Proms’ David Bowie tribute concert. His recordings of Vivaldi, Vinci, and Gluck, alongside collaborations with fellow countertenors such as Max Emanuel Cenčić, have played a significant role in the modern revival of Baroque opera seria repertoire.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Jaroussky