Charpentier's Médée

The Opera People present Charpentier’s Médée, in collaboration with Les Épopées (France) and Red Dot Baroque, as part of Voilah! French Festival Singapore.

Foreigner. Witch. Mother. Wife. One of the most fascinating heroines in Greek mythology, Médée has had to play many roles in her life. Now raising her children in a foreign land where she is branded as an other she finds her husband, Jason, is in love with another woman. Betrayed and with nowhere left to turn, Médée turns to the dark powers still within her grasp. What follows is a reckoning—one of love and vengeance, culminating in an unthinkable act of murder that has haunted us across generations.

At a time when xenophobia is rampant and the bodies of women and mothers are still subject to patriarchal control, is Médée truly responsible for her actions - or are they merely her way of lashing out at a system that refuses to accept her for who she is?

This concert version of Charpentier’s 1693 opera unites a French and Singaporean cast: Isabelle Druet as Médée, David Charles Tay as Jason, Claire Lefilliatre as Nérine, Edward Kim as Créon, and Kira Lim as Créuse, alongside an ensemble of Singapore’s finest voices. Under the direction of Les Épopées’ Stéphane Fuget, with Red Dot Baroque led by Alan Choo, Médée is a bold retelling of an ageless story of fury, loss, and feminine autonomy.

Music Director: Stéphane Fuget
Leader: Alan Choo

Médée: Isabelle Druet
Jason: David Charles Tay
Nérine: Claire Lefiliâtre
Créuse: Kira Lim
Créon: Edward Kim

Ensemble: Kezia Robson, Val Chong, Alison Wong, Azura Farid, Ted Ngoo, Leslie Tay, Jermyn Leong, Reuben Lai

Musicians: Alice Coquart, Brenda Koh, Erlene Koh, Mervyn Lee, Christopher Clarke