A new general delegate for the Capitole orchestra, in Toulouse
Thierry d’Argoubet, general delegate of the Orchester du Capitole, retired in December after two decades of good and loyal service. He will be replaced in April by Jean-Baptiste Fra, who held a similar position at the Pays de Loire orchestra.
Jean-Baptiste Fra has been appointed General Delegate of the Orchester national du Capitole by Mr. Francis Grass, Deputy Mayor in charge of coordinating cultural and memorial policies, Metropolitan Councilor in charge of the Theater and the Orchester National du Capitole. Jean-Baptiste Fra will take up his duties in April 2022 and will have as main mission to develop an ambitious artistic program for the Toulouse institution, in close collaboration with its Musical Director Tugan Sokhiev and its General Administrator Claire Roserot de Melin. He will be in charge of maintaining a permanent dialogue with the musicians and of working for the national and international influence of the Orchester national du Capitole. Within the “Théâtre et Orchester National du Capitole” house, he is an essential player in the general project of the establishment and in the collaboration with the Théâtre du Capitole. Since 2017, Jean-Baptiste Fra has been in charge of programming and producing the concerts of the Orchester national des Pays de la Loire. Alongside Pascal Rophé and Michel Ayroles, he notably integrated a global artistic strategy which contributes to the development and recognition of the institution. The orchestra is thus present in major festivals and artistic collaborations have been renewed. Its audience has grown significantly thanks in particular to the programming of joint projects involving local players (artists, institutions, amateur musicians, etc.). After two first experiences at the Théâtre du Châtelet, then at the Opéra national de Paris, JeanBaptiste Fra joined the production team of the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon from 2010 to 2017, where he worked in close collaboration with Annette Mangold, then with Christian Thompson under the direction of Jean-Marc Bador. The latter had notably designated him the programming of film concerts in partnership with the Institut Lumière. This period allowed him to build up an important international network. He is a graduate of a Master 2 pro administration and management of Music (Jean Monnet University of Saint-Étienne) and a Master of musicology. Clarinetist by training, holder of an improvement prize obtained at the CRR of Grenoble, he taught clarinet and musical training in several music schools in the Lyon region between 2003 and 2008.