Harvard Graduate William Christie elected at the Académie des Beaux-Arts
On Nov 12, 2008, Harvard graduate William Christie, a star of the classical music world, was elected at the Académie des Beaux-Arts for the seat previously occupied by the mime artist Marcel Marceau.
William Christie is the second Harvard alumnus to become an "Immortel". Gérard Régnier, alias Jean Clair, a Harvard graduate and former director of the Picasso Museum, was elected to the Académie Française earlier this year.
William Lincoln Christie is the founder and director of Les Arts Florissants. Christie studied art history at Harvard University and music at Yale University. He moved to France in 1971, where he became known for his interpretations of Baroque music, particularly French Baroque music. In 1979 he founded Les Arts Florissants, named after the opera of the same name by Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
He was professor at the Paris Conservatoire from 1982 to 1995, and maintains an active role in pedagogy by participating in masterclasses and academies. In 2002 he founded Le Jardin des Voix, a biennial academy for young singers in Caen. He was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1993, and is an Officier in the Ordre des Arts et Lettres. Christie has long been resident in France, and he was granted French citizenship in 1995.
Christie has expanded beyond his group's core French repertoire, performing Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He has been guest conductor at the Glyndebourne Festival, and productions for Zurich Opera and the Opera de Lyon. Since 2002 he has appeared regularly with the Berlin Philharmonic. In 2008 he brought "Les Arts Florissants" to Madrid's Teatro Real to perform Monteverdi's L'Orfeo, a co-production with La Fenice, Venice.
