Louis-Alexander Desire (France)

    Louis-Alexander Desire started singing when he was seven and began to study classical dance at the age of eight. He joined Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Louis in Paris in 2003 and became a soloist in the choir the following year. At present he is soloist with La Maitrise de l'Opera National de Paris and the English Cathedral Choir of Paris under Christopher Wells (formerly of Salisbury Cathedral). In August 2005 he gave a recital in Bury St. Edmunds in memory of the victims of the London bombings. 
    
    In March 2006 he sang the role of Yniold in Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande with the Opera de Rouen and was described by critics as "the best actor in the cast" for his "astonishing stage confidence" and the 'best child Yniold ... ever heard'. In early April he performed as one of three boy soloists in Henri Dutilleux's moving symphonic opera "The Shadows of Time" at Opera Bastille under the baton of Esa-Pekka Salonen and in the presence of the famous 90 year old composer. 
    
    Louis-Alexander is fluently bilingual: his mother is English and his father French. He is also an accomplished classical dancer and played the title role in Joseph Russillo's Le Passeur especially choreographed for him at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris in May 2005. In early 2006 he danced the forest bird in Robert Wilson's impressive Ring Cycle at the Chatelet in Paris. 
    
    In early 2006 he will appear as the Forest Bird in Robert Wilson's impressive Ring Cycle at the Chatelet in Paris. In summer 2006 he will sing first boy in Mozart's Magic Flute in Paris and will give a recital of mainly French art songs for the fringe of the Three Choirs Festival in England.