Son of a French couple emigrated in Argentina, André Huc-Santana as is his real name, is born unexpectedly in Toulouse, as his parents were there on holidays, in their family. Aged three, he comes to Argentina with his mother to join his father, farmer in the Pampa. There he spends his youth between cows and sheeps, far away from cities. He will have no opportunity to learn singing, though he has an immense passion for voice. Aged 19, forced to choose between French and Argentinean nationalities, his decides himself for the first one, and comes back to France for his military service. It was mainly for him an opportunity for him to live in a city having a conservatory, to have singing lessons. When he arrives, in 1931, he speaks a bad French language, but ameliorates it during is military service. He has actually some singing lessons, mainly with Vanni-Marcoux, and earn a little bit of money singing Chansonette and Tango in cabarets. He appears for the first time on an opera stage in Marseille, in a little role of Charpentier's "Louise".
In 1940, he leaves Paris to the Phocean city with his young wife to escape German invasion. There, he continues to perform in cabarets, but meets unexpectedly in a sheet music store a friend of Countess Lili Pastré, who was president of an association of young artists. She organized a concert where she has invited Paul Bastide, current Marseille Opera's director. He immediately engaged Huc Santana for his debuts in a first significant opera role : Phanuel in Massenet's "Herodiade".
In 1943, he comes back to Paris, where he encounters a pianist, friend of Gustave Cloëz, conductor in Paris Salle Favart. Cloëz is so impressed by Huc Santana's voice that he obtains for him an audition with Paris Opera director, Jacques Roucher. He sings Ange Flégier's "Le Cor", and is engaged for Rigoletto's Sparafucile. Then he will perform in several second roles like Ramfis, Il Commendatore…
His career then takes off in Monte Carlo's Opera, with the help of Suzanne Luol. There, he debuted in the role of the four villains of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann", contucted by Raoul Gainsbourg, and then continues with Boris, Mephisto in "Faust", and the title roles of "Mefistofele" and "Don Giovanni".
Due to those successes, Paris Palais Garnier offers him also first roles : the ones already performed in Monte Carlo, and also Mephisto of "La Damnation de Faust". In 1946, he sings his first Basilio in Salle Favart. But he will obtain his greatest successes in Brussels, where he will sing during seven years, with the chance to choose himself the roles he wants to perform for each season's opening. So he had the possibility to ask for the rare Galitzky in Borodine's "Prince Igor", and also to sing operetta, and specially Offenbach.
His noticed performances in this theatre as Boris (1954) and Don Quichotte were advantageously compared to those of Feodor Chaliapine, great specialist of those roles. It is important to notice that during his period in Belgian capital the creation in 1957 of Carl Orff's "Die Kluge", in the role of the King.
He is then regularly invited in Buenos Aires Teatro Colon (as Padre Gardiano of "La Forza del destino", mainly), and one time in Aix en Provence in 1956, as Jupiter in Rameau's "Platée". Among other rare roles, on may notice Flambeau in "L'aiglon", Blue-Beard in Dukas "Ariane et Barbe-Bleue", or the creation of the father in Vladimir Kosma's "Canuts".
Last but not least, he has the opportunity besides his carrer to teach his art in a personal way, training for example the celebrated Tango singer Herctor Mauré.
In 1940, he leaves Paris to the Phocean city with his young wife to escape German invasion. There, he continues to perform in cabarets, but meets unexpectedly in a sheet music store a friend of Countess Lili Pastré, who was president of an association of young artists. She organized a concert where she has invited Paul Bastide, current Marseille Opera's director. He immediately engaged Huc Santana for his debuts in a first significant opera role : Phanuel in Massenet's "Herodiade".
In 1943, he comes back to Paris, where he encounters a pianist, friend of Gustave Cloëz, conductor in Paris Salle Favart. Cloëz is so impressed by Huc Santana's voice that he obtains for him an audition with Paris Opera director, Jacques Roucher. He sings Ange Flégier's "Le Cor", and is engaged for Rigoletto's Sparafucile. Then he will perform in several second roles like Ramfis, Il Commendatore…
His career then takes off in Monte Carlo's Opera, with the help of Suzanne Luol. There, he debuted in the role of the four villains of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann", contucted by Raoul Gainsbourg, and then continues with Boris, Mephisto in "Faust", and the title roles of "Mefistofele" and "Don Giovanni".
Due to those successes, Paris Palais Garnier offers him also first roles : the ones already performed in Monte Carlo, and also Mephisto of "La Damnation de Faust". In 1946, he sings his first Basilio in Salle Favart. But he will obtain his greatest successes in Brussels, where he will sing during seven years, with the chance to choose himself the roles he wants to perform for each season's opening. So he had the possibility to ask for the rare Galitzky in Borodine's "Prince Igor", and also to sing operetta, and specially Offenbach.
His noticed performances in this theatre as Boris (1954) and Don Quichotte were advantageously compared to those of Feodor Chaliapine, great specialist of those roles. It is important to notice that during his period in Belgian capital the creation in 1957 of Carl Orff's "Die Kluge", in the role of the King.
He is then regularly invited in Buenos Aires Teatro Colon (as Padre Gardiano of "La Forza del destino", mainly), and one time in Aix en Provence in 1956, as Jupiter in Rameau's "Platée". Among other rare roles, on may notice Flambeau in "L'aiglon", Blue-Beard in Dukas "Ariane et Barbe-Bleue", or the creation of the father in Vladimir Kosma's "Canuts".
Last but not least, he has the opportunity besides his carrer to teach his art in a personal way, training for example the celebrated Tango singer Herctor Mauré.
Son of a French couple emigrated in Argentina, André Huc-Santana as is his real name, is born unexpectedly in Toulouse, as his parents were there on holidays, in their family. Aged three, he comes to Argentina with his mother to join his father, farmer in the Pampa. There he spends his youth between cows and sheeps, far away from cities. He will have no opportunity to learn singing, though he has an immense passion for voice. Aged 19, forced to choose between French and Argentinean nationalities, his decides himself for the first one, and comes back to France for his military service. It was mainly for him an opportunity for him to live in a city having a conservatory, to have singing lessons. When he arrives, in 1931, he speaks a bad French language, but ameliorates it during is military service. He has actually some singing lessons, mainly with Vanni-Marcoux, and earn a little bit of money singing Chansonette and Tango in cabarets. He appears for the first time on an opera stage in Marseille, in a little role of Charpentier's "Louise".
In 1940, he leaves Paris to the Phocean city with his young wife to escape German invasion. There, he continues to perform in cabarets, but meets unexpectedly in a sheet music store a friend of Countess Lili Pastré, who was president of an association of young artists. She organized a concert where she has invited Paul Bastide, current Marseille Opera's director. He immediately engaged Huc Santana for his debuts in a first significant opera role : Phanuel in Massenet's "Herodiade".
In 1943, he comes back to Paris, where he encounters a pianist, friend of Gustave Cloëz, conductor in Paris Salle Favart. Cloëz is so impressed by Huc Santana's voice that he obtains for him an audition with Paris Opera director, Jacques Roucher. He sings Ange Flégier's "Le Cor", and is engaged for Rigoletto's Sparafucile. Then he will perform in several second roles like Ramfis, Il Commendatore…
His career then takes off in Monte Carlo's Opera, with the help of Suzanne Luol. There, he debuted in the role of the four villains of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann", contucted by Raoul Gainsbourg, and then continues with Boris, Mephisto in "Faust", and the title roles of "Mefistofele" and "Don Giovanni".
Due to those successes, Paris Palais Garnier offers him also first roles : the ones already performed in Monte Carlo, and also Mephisto of "La Damnation de Faust". In 1946, he sings his first Basilio in Salle Favart. But he will obtain his greatest successes in Brussels, where he will sing during seven years, with the chance to choose himself the roles he wants to perform for each season's opening. So he had the possibility to ask for the rare Galitzky in Borodine's "Prince Igor", and also to sing operetta, and specially Offenbach.
His noticed performances in this theatre as Boris (1954) and Don Quichotte were advantageously compared to those of Feodor Chaliapine, great specialist of those roles. It is important to notice that during his period in Belgian capital the creation in 1957 of Carl Orff's "Die Kluge", in the role of the King.
He is then regularly invited in Buenos Aires Teatro Colon (as Padre Gardiano of "La Forza del destino", mainly), and one time in Aix en Provence in 1956, as Jupiter in Rameau's "Platée". Among other rare roles, on may notice Flambeau in "L'aiglon", Blue-Beard in Dukas "Ariane et Barbe-Bleue", or the creation of the father in Vladimir Kosma's "Canuts".
Last but not least, he has the opportunity besides his carrer to teach his art in a personal way, training for example the celebrated Tango singer Herctor Mauré.
In 1940, he leaves Paris to the Phocean city with his young wife to escape German invasion. There, he continues to perform in cabarets, but meets unexpectedly in a sheet music store a friend of Countess Lili Pastré, who was president of an association of young artists. She organized a concert where she has invited Paul Bastide, current Marseille Opera's director. He immediately engaged Huc Santana for his debuts in a first significant opera role : Phanuel in Massenet's "Herodiade".
In 1943, he comes back to Paris, where he encounters a pianist, friend of Gustave Cloëz, conductor in Paris Salle Favart. Cloëz is so impressed by Huc Santana's voice that he obtains for him an audition with Paris Opera director, Jacques Roucher. He sings Ange Flégier's "Le Cor", and is engaged for Rigoletto's Sparafucile. Then he will perform in several second roles like Ramfis, Il Commendatore…
His career then takes off in Monte Carlo's Opera, with the help of Suzanne Luol. There, he debuted in the role of the four villains of "Les Contes d'Hoffmann", contucted by Raoul Gainsbourg, and then continues with Boris, Mephisto in "Faust", and the title roles of "Mefistofele" and "Don Giovanni".
Due to those successes, Paris Palais Garnier offers him also first roles : the ones already performed in Monte Carlo, and also Mephisto of "La Damnation de Faust". In 1946, he sings his first Basilio in Salle Favart. But he will obtain his greatest successes in Brussels, where he will sing during seven years, with the chance to choose himself the roles he wants to perform for each season's opening. So he had the possibility to ask for the rare Galitzky in Borodine's "Prince Igor", and also to sing operetta, and specially Offenbach.
His noticed performances in this theatre as Boris (1954) and Don Quichotte were advantageously compared to those of Feodor Chaliapine, great specialist of those roles. It is important to notice that during his period in Belgian capital the creation in 1957 of Carl Orff's "Die Kluge", in the role of the King.
He is then regularly invited in Buenos Aires Teatro Colon (as Padre Gardiano of "La Forza del destino", mainly), and one time in Aix en Provence in 1956, as Jupiter in Rameau's "Platée". Among other rare roles, on may notice Flambeau in "L'aiglon", Blue-Beard in Dukas "Ariane et Barbe-Bleue", or the creation of the father in Vladimir Kosma's "Canuts".
Last but not least, he has the opportunity besides his carrer to teach his art in a personal way, training for example the celebrated Tango singer Herctor Mauré.
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