Festival of songs by Scottish tenor Stuart Patterson

How a Scottish tenor, born in Perth, Scotland, who trained in Glasgow, London, Florence and Paris and has sung in opera houses all over the world has come to create, manage and lead a festival in a tiny village in the Jura is one of the mysteries to which expats seem to have the key.

Stuart Patterson acquired a house in Montperreux on Lake Saint-Pont in the French Jura in 2003.

"It’s just so beautiful here," he says of place that he drives to from Lausanne in 45 minutes.

In 2008, he organized a master class for confirmed and aspiring classical singers and to thank the local authorities for the use of the facilities, Patterson and consorts gave a concert in the church of Montperreux, discovering its stunning acoustic.

Church of Montperreux above lake Saint-Pont

The success of the concert encouraged Patterson to organize a festival the next year, which he again combined with master classes.

"There was so much interest from the local people that we decided to create the Festival Lyrique de Montperreux (Montperreux festival of classical singing), with a couple of invited singers," Patterson tells Swisster.

The second edition of the festival, which runs until 8 August, consolidates the venture, the only cultural event in the entire area.

For the opening concert on July 24, Patterson wanted to do "something very different". He gave a recital in which he was accompanied on the piano by Amercian Todd Camburn, who is choir master at the Geneva Opera and on the horn by Andréa Zardini.

"There is a nice repertoire for tenor, piano and horn," he says, adding that "the concert was a great success; people went crazy!"

There is still time to attend the three remaining recitals.

The lovely and talented Sophie Marin-Degor will be giving a concert on July 28 at 8pm dedicated entirely to French repertoire, including Fauré, Poulenc and Offenbach.

"Sophie is an excellent soprano who is going from role to role in the main opera houses all over Europe," Patterson indicates. She will be accompanied by Michel Capolongo on the piano.

As for the concerts on August 1 and 8 at 3pm, they will be the culmination of the master classes organized by Patterson with two different groups of classical singers.

"I like everyone to do a little bit of everything," Stuart Patterson explains. "Oratorio, arias, lieds, French melodies, and even Broadway musicals . . ."

"Some singers think it’s beneath them to sing music from Broadway, but there is tremendous vocal pleasure, for example, in singing 'Over the rainbow',2 he says.

"I want the pleasure of singing to be present. I want the physical pleasure of music to be present," he stresses.

Whilst the first edition was sponsored by the local authorities, private sponsors have now come on board, validating its importance on the local scene. "Even the local saw mill has contributed," Patterson enthuses.

"People think I’m crazy to have started this, but it’s all such fun and the audience is there," he says.