Rubrique nécrologique
SAVOIE, Robert  |
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Montréal, le 14 septembre 2007, à l'âge de 80 ans,
est décédé Robert Savoie, conjoint de Michèle
Gaudreau et fils de feu Francis Savoie et feu
Émilienne Dussault. Il laisse dans le deuil sa conjointe Michèle Gaudreau, les frères et soeurs de Michèle, leurs conjoints et leurs enfants: Aline Duffy, la mère de ses enfants Élizabeth et Pierre-Paul et leurs conjoints Alain et Linda; ses soeurs feu Jacqueline, Rollande, son frère André-Sébastien et sa conjointe Andrée; ses neveux et nièces Jean-Marc, Johanne, Lise, Chantal, Louis-Robert, Caroline et Marjolaine; ses innombrables amis et son cher public. Robert laisse aussi dans le deuil tous ses élèves actuels et passés, si chers à son coeur. La famille recevra les condoléances le vendredi 21 septembre de 17h à 22h et le samedi 22 septembre de 12h à 15h30, au Salon funéraire Collins Clarke 5610, rue Sherbrooke Ouest (coin Marcil),à Montréal, 514-483-1870. Un service funèbre sera célébré à sa mémoire le samedi 22 septembre à 16h, en l'église Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, 5333, av. Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. Michèle vous invite à témoigner votre sympathie en faisant un don à la Scena Musicale, revue dont Robert Savoie était l'ambassadeur et qui soutient nos artistes, nos musiciens et nos chanteurs. Nos remerciements les plus sincères. La Scena Musicale
5409, rue Waverly, Montréal, H2T2X8. www.scena.org. Paru le 2007/09/20
dans La Presse WAND4475
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Montreal baritone Robert
Savoie dies at age 80
Robert Savoie, a Montreal-born opera singer considered one of Canada's finest baritones, has died at age 80. Savoie died Friday of a heart attack in Montreal.
He is known in Quebec as an arts administratorand for his role in founding l'Opéra de Montréal, l'Orchestre Métropolitain and le Mouvement d'action pour l'art lyrique du Québec. Savoie performed most of that advocacy work after his retirement from the stage in 1981.
As a singer, he had an international career that took him to Milan's La Scala, New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Covent Garden.
He also won an international Emmy in 1965 for his starring role in Radio-Canada's Le Barbier de Séville.
Born April 21, 1927 in Montreal, he studied singing for five years with Pauline Donalda and made his stage debut in 1948 with her Opera Guild of Montreal as the Second Philistine in Samson et Dalila.
He sang secondary roles with the Opera Guild for four years, before moving to Milan to study with Antonio Narducci.
He made his Milan debut in 1953 as Scarpia in Tosca at the Teatro Nuovo and sang an important role in Di Viroli's La Madre under the name Roberto Savoia. In the 1960s, he sang extensively in Italy under that name. Savoie developed a resonant baritone voice that was particularly suited to Verdi's repertoire.
Savoie was also a fixture on the Quebec opera scene, singing frequently in operas and operettas on Radio-Canada's l'Heure du Concert.
He perfected more than 92 roles and gave more than 3 000 performances in locations as varied as South Africa, France, Scotland, the U.S. and South America.
Among the notable highlights were the title rolein Verdi's Rigoletto at Covent Garden and his1971 performance in Verdi's Falstaff in the opening season of the Kennedy Center in Washington.
He sang the title role in Rossini's The Barber of Seville in the Opera Guild's final performance. The Opera Guild ceased giving recitals after Donalda's death in 1970.
In the 1970s Savoie was a mainstay of the Opéra du Québec, andhe joined with tenor André Turp and bass Joseph Rouleau in forming the Mouvement d'Action pour l'Art lyrique du Québec, the lobby group that led to the creation of the Opéra de Montréal.
He was artistic director at the City of Lachine for 20 years, co-ordinating numerous concert series and a yearly summer musical festival. He also taught voice at McGill University.
Savoie is survived by his second wife Michèle Gaudreau and his brother, pianist André-Sébastien Savoie. He is also survived bytwi children from his marriage to Aline Duffy, Pierre Paul Savoie and Elizabeth Savoie.
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CBC Arts Posted: Sep 18, 2007