BY KAREN BOSSICK

Bastille Day may have originated in the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution. But today it’s an excuse for a party, and such a fun event it is, says award-winning French-American singer Theodora Cottarel.

“One thing the French really excel at is throwing a good party,” she said. “Bastille Day is a lot like the Fourth of July, but replace all the hot dogs and beer with a lot of champagne, wine and cheese. The fireworks are a big deal as well! I have spent a lot of my Bastille Days in Paris, and people will line up along the quai or the Champs de Mars to see the fireworks go off behind the Eiffel Tower. It’s always a ton of fun.”

Cottarel hopes to bring the joie de vivre that she’s always felt celebrating the holiday to a Sun Valley audience when she perform at 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 14, at Sun Valley Opera and Broadway’s second Bastille Day Celebration and Concert.

The “All Things French” garden concert overlooking the Big Wood River in Golden Eagle south of Ketchum will feature a French cheese table, passed French hors d’oeuvres and sweets and a French wine selection. And it will be capped by Cottarel singing French favorites from cabaret, musical theater and opera.

It is, said Executive Director Robyn Watson, a chance to visit France without a passport, enjoying French décor, foods, wine and music in Sun Valley.

Sun Valley Opera and Broadway is reprising its Bastille Day Celebration & Concert because last year’s was received so well, said Sun Valley Opera Co-Founder Frank Meyer.

“One of the songs we expect to present is Celine Dion’s “The Hymn to Love,” which nearly stole the show over the opening ceremony at last summer’s Olympics in Paris,” said Meyer, who met Cottarel in Seattle where she won second prize in the Seattle Opera Guild’s competition. “That song is considered one of most popular songs of 21 century—it reflects the passion associated with the French culture. And another will be “Hymne A L’Amour,” the song Edith Piaf wrote after the world champion French boxer she was in love with died in a plane crash.

Cottarel, who is married to a French man, has been praised by Schmopera for her electrifying performances and by Premiere Loges for her acting and storytelling talent. This season she is singing the role of Elena in Bluck’s Paride ed Elena and Elle in La voix humaine in New York. She also is performing in the “Rising Stars of Puget Sound” concert for the Seatle Opera Guild.

Cottarel was born in the United States to French parents. Her father’s work took his family to Paris, Ann Arbor, Mich.; San Jose, Calif.; Houston, Boston, New York City and Seattle.

“I fall into the category of people who really enjoyed living in different places and meeting new people all the time,” she said.

She fell in love with singing as a youngster, driving her siblings nuts with the often-made up tunes she was constantly performing.

She sang in choirs while living in the United States. But, when her high school in Paris didn’t have a singing program, she began taking private lessons with a Juilliard School of Music graduate living in Paris.

“She thought I should pursue singing professionally. And, though I don’t come from a musical or artistic family, my mom really encouraged me to go for it when I got into the Manhattan School of Music. The rest is history--I’ve been singing professionally ever since.”

Cottarel moved back to Paris after completing her studies.

“Paris for me has always been in many ways a definer of who I was to become as an adult and a musician,” she said. “One of my favorite gigs while I was in Paris was at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, where I got to perform with Charlotte Rampling, William Lambert, and a host of other very famous French actors.

“I’ve performed in France, Belgium, Italy, and in the United States. A couple weeks ago, I made my debut as Temperance in a new opera called The Meeting House by Carolyn Quick and Raya Tuffaha with Seattle Opera as part of their 2025 Creation Lab.

Cottarel says she’ll be singing in French and English on Monday night. The musical menu will include La Vie en rose by Edith Piaf, “Ne me quitte pas” by Jacques Brel, “Glitter and Be Gay” by Leonard Bernstein and “Je veux vivre” by Charles Gounod.

“There’s a lot that makes French music unique across all styles. But, for me, what truly defines it is the poetry of the lyrics. The French are very serious about language. They have one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris along the quai (L’Académie française) devoted entirely to the French language,” she said

As a result, I think you always hear the emotional truth in French music, as it is always written in service of the words,” she added. “And it’s often more about raw feeling than perfection. I think this sensitivity is true whether the piece is serious or lighthearted. That’s why French music is so relatable and poignant, no matter where you’re from. And maybe one of the reasons a song like La Vie en rose became a worldwide hit—it captures a feeling we all recognize.”

Cottarel says she’ll be singing in French and English on Monday night.

“Though I am completely bilingual, I like to jokingly say that my first language is Franglish. I grew up switching from English to French even within the span of one sentence. And this concert feels like a very exciting way to share my “Franglish heritage.” Some of the songs will have one verse in French and English the next as they have been popularized in both languages. And some songs even have the Franglish spirit built in—like Aznavour’s For me, Formidable.”

Tickets to Monday’s concert are available at https://www.sunvalleyopera.com/ or by calling Executive Director Robyn Watson at 818-577-7811.