Chollet, Jean Baptiste (Marie)

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Chollet, Jean Baptiste (Marie)

Chollet, Jean Baptiste (Marie), French baritone, later tenor; b. Paris, May 20, 1798; d. Nemours, Jan. 10, 1892. He received his training at the Paris Cons. He appeared as a baritone in Switzerland, in Le Havre (1823–25), at the Paris Opéra-Comique (1825), and in Brussels (1826). Returning to the Opéra-Comique, he turned to tenor roles and sang in the premiere of Hérold’s Marie (Aug. 12, 1826). He then created the title roles in Auber’s Fra Diavolo (Jan. 28, 1830) and Hérold’s Zampa (May 3, 1831) there. After engagements in Brussels (1832–34) and The Hague (1834–35), he returned once more to the Opéra-Comique and created the role of Chapelou in Adam’s Le Postillon de Longjumeau (Oct. 13, 1836). In 1844 his health declined and in 1847 he was compelled to leave the Opéra-Comique. After serving as director of theaters in Bordeaux (1847–48) and The Hague (1851), he resumed his career as a singer with appearances in Toulouse (1848), London (1850), and Paris (1852–54) before retiring from the operatic stage.

Bibliography

A. Laget, C. (Toulouse, 1880).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire