"Fear of Being Hit"

Karine Godefroy, Soprano
Xavier Legasa, Baritone
Martin Beau, Pianist
Featuring Bruno Marchand and Mr. Ledru
Directed by: Karine Godefroy
Lighting: Fabrice Arnaud

With a Master’s degree in Literature and a diploma from the Guildhall School of Music, Karine studied under C. Ludwig, G. Johnson, F. Tillard, G. Bacquier, Y. Minton, Howard Crook, and others… She made her debut in Rome with the company Il Laboratorio dei Voci and later participated in the European Academy of Aix-en-Provence (directed by E. Wagner).
Her early engagements included the roles of Rosina (*Il Barbiere di Siviglia*), the title role in Offenbach’s *La Belle Hélène*, and Carmen (with the Diva Opera company in London, Les Azuriales, Vézère, etc.), one of the sisters in Pauline Viardot’s *Cendrillon*, Jacqueline in Gounod’s *Le Médecin Malgré Lui* at the Limoges Opera, and Lotché in Offenbach’s *Docteur Ox* at the Athénée with the company “Les Brigands,” with which she remained for three seasons (conducted by B. Lévy / stage direction by S. Druet). 
At the Dijon Auditorium, she sang the Countess in *The Marriage of Figaro*, then took on the role of Elvira in *Don Giovanni* at the Saint-Céré Festival under the baton of Dominique Trottein (stage direction by O. Desbordes). Karine then portrayed Siebel in Gounod’s *Faust* at the Nice Opera under the direction of Emmanuel Villaume, and was cast in Ravel’s *L’Enfant et les Sortilèges*, directed by Patrice Caurier and Moshe Leiser.
At the Théâtre des Athévains (Paris) and the Basel Opera (staged by Massimo Rocchi), she sang the role of Elisetta in Cimarosa’s *Il Matrimonio Segreto* and then that of Grilletta in Haydn’s *Lo Speziale*. At the Opéra Comique, she served as the understudy for Patricia Petibon in Hérold’s *Zampa* (conducted by W. Christie / staged by J. Deschamps), and later portrayed the First Cousin at the Lille Opera in *La Périchole* (conducted by J-C Casadesus).  
Among the roles she has performed are those of Mercédès in various productions (including at the OCC and the Stade de France), Marion in L. Ganne’s *Les Saltimbanques* at the Metz Opera (conducted by P.-E. Fourny), Pépé Poussière in G. Condé’s children’s opera *La Chouette enrhumée* (Les Azuriales Festival), the Ogre in W. Henze’s *Pollicino* in Rome (conducted by Claire Gibault / staged by D. Abbado), Costanza in Haydn’s *L’Isola Disabitata* (Besançon Festival), the Sandman and the Dew Fairy in Humperdinck’s *Hänsel und Gretel* (Reims Opera), Gianetta (*L’Elisir d’amore*), Micaëla (Dijon Auditorium), Sylvie in Gounod’s *La Colombe* (ALFC),
Venus in J. Blow’s *Venus and Adonis*, and Nérine in Charpentier’s *Médée* (London, conducted by C. Curnyn).   
Karine’s concert and oratorio repertoire includes the Mass in C (Mozart, conducted by J. Suhubiette), the Magnificat at the Besançon Theater, and Bach’s Mass in B (soprano II), *Jephthah* (Carissimi), Duruflé’s *Requiem*, Mendelssohn’s *Paulus*, Schubert’s *Mass in G Major*, Rossini’s *Petite Messe Solennelle*, Esther (Moreau) at the Villa Medici, Brahms’s *Liebesliederwalzer* (Salle Cortot), *Carmina Burana* in Saint-Céré. Karine has also recorded a CD of 19th-century art songs, *Les Orientales*, based on poems by Victor Hugo.
Among her most recent roles are Mephisto in Hervé’s *Le Petit Faust* at the Opéra de Marseille, the Baroness in *La Vie parisienne* (music by J. Duparc), Zerbine (Pergolesi’s *La Servante maîtresse*), Rosalinda (J. Strauss’s *La Chauve
Souris*), Papagena and one of the Ladies in *The Magic Flute* (Les Voix Élevées company), the First Witch and the Spirit in Purcell’s *Dido and Aeneas*, Clotilda in *Norma* (cond. B. Jourdain), Clémentine in *Yes!* by Maurice Yvain with Les Frivolités Parisiennes.
Karine also directs the voice class at the Conservatoire du 13ème in Paris and devotes herself to recitals, directing, and writing. Notably, she created a one-woman show at the Théâtre Artistic Athévains titled *La VIE humaine*, based on Cocteau’s *La Voix humaine*. In 2026, she directed and sang in *La Peur des coups*, a production based on Courteline’s play of the same name (music by Mozart and Jack Ledru) for piano, soprano, and baritone.