Duo Canticel
Catherine Dagois, contralto | Edgar Teufel, organ
The French-German Duo Canticel, formed by contralto Catherine Dagois and organist-composer Edgar Teufel, has established a remarkable artistic identity, uniting deep musical sensibility with an enduring commitment to sharing beauty and emotion through performance. Life partners as well as musical collaborators, their concerts are distinguished by an exceptional blend of vocal and instrumental color, emotional depth, and refined interpretation.
Catherine Dagois
Recognized for her rare and sumptuous dramatic contralto voice, Catherine Dagois began her career with notable early successes, including the Gold Medal at the Concours Musical de France and a finalist distinction at the Concours des Voix d’Or at the age of 21. She holds a degree in musicology from the Conservatory of Toulouse University and the prestigious title of Professor of Singing from the Stuttgart Conservatory.
Praised by Gazeta Wyborcza as “a voice you’ll never forget,” Dagois has since performed internationally in major concert halls and opera houses, such as Opéra Bastille (Paris), the Flanders Opera (Antwerp), and the Warsaw Autumn Festival, where she sang with the Polish Radio and Television Philharmonic. She has collaborated with leading conductors including Edgar Howarth, Frédéric Chaslin, Kwame Ryan, and Johannes Kalitzke. The late Jacques Bourgeois, renowned French musicologist and producer at France Musique, described her as “France’s unique, true contralto.”
Edgar Teufel
A musician of exceptional versatility and intellectual depth, Edgar Teufel holds multiple degrees from the Conservatory and University of Stuttgart in organ, piano, conducting, musicology, literature, and music education. He began his career as a professional orchestral musician, participating in international tours and recordings for radio and television. In 1985, he founded the Sigmaringen Youth Orchestra, which he has conducted continuously for over three decades.
Teufel’s artistry is marked by sensitivity, clarity, and profound musical insight. As noted by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: “From the very first bar, one could admire the accompanist’s exceptional talents.” In addition to his work as a performer, he is a respected pedagogue and composer, whose arrangements and original works are frequently featured in the duo’s recordings.
The Duo
Since forming their duo, Catherine Dagois and Edgar Teufel have performed across four continents and more than 24 countries, appearing in concert halls and cathedrals throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Their collaborations have resulted in numerous acclaimed recordings for labels such as Audite, Bayer Records, SWR, Ars Produktion, and now KNS Classical.
Duo Canticel is also active in education, regularly offering masterclasses in singing, organ, and piano at esteemed institutions including the conservatories of Ostrava, Bucharest, Timișoara, Wrocław, Tananarive, Canton, Wuhan, and Novosibirsk.
Their artistry is driven by a shared passion for music that is both intimate and transcendent. In their own words:
“Our greatest joy is to perform the music we love most in places filled with history and soul, and to share it with audiences worldwide.”
« En écoutant l’expression et le charme que vous donnez à ma musique je suis empli d’admiration. »
Xavier Montsalvatge (lettre à Catherine Dagois et Edgar Teufel).
« C’est la voix qu’on n’oublie pas… » La Gazeta Wyborcza (Varsovie)
« Dès la première mesure on a pu admirer les qualités exceptionnelles de l’accompagnateur » FAZ (Francfort)
«… c’était comme si les sons et timbres des deux instruments se mélangeaient l’un l’autre en se rencontrant avec jubilation Véronique Romeu SZ (Allemagne)
« La distribution est parfaite… particulièrement la voix somptueuse de Catherine Dagois » Annemie Adriaensens (opéra des Flandres , Anvers ).
« Dagois a immédiatement captivé avec sa voix chaude profonde et sa présence scénique, Teufel fit preuve d’une grande virtuosité technique. le Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur).
« Catherine Dagois nous a charmé » journal de Prague
«… une remarquable artiste d’opéra » Evening News , Shanghai
«… et les passionnés ne s’y sont pas trompés que les artistes ont submergé d’émotions » Pierre le Bailly, l’Alsace
Edgar Teufel, soliste brillant, plein de tact et de mesure, il est aussi un parfait accompagnateur.la Marseillaise, Avignon, Palais des Papes.
« Ces deux artistes indissociables et complémentaires ne pouvaient que magnifier les qualités de l’orgue Jean-Pierre Cavaillé… Festival International d’Orgue de Vinca, Jean-Michel Collet, l’Indépendant
Catherine Dagois a impressionné par une surprenante capacité à aller plus loin que la partition, . Edgar Teufel fut capable de suivre les moindres variations de tempi et de nuances,… il a grandement contribué au succès final. Kosicky Vecer ( cathédrale de Kosice, Slovaquie.)
Et Dagois ensorcela le public, tant par son interprétation que par son timbre inimitable qui sonne comme un alliage de bronze et d’or. “Schwäbisches Tagblatt” ( cathédrale de Rottenburg, Allemagne.)
« Au septième ciel avec Canticel » une voix de contralto d’une puissance rare d’un timbre chaud et sensuel… l’organiste a mis en évidence des possibilités insoupçonnées du Grand orgue DNA , B.G (concert en Alsace)
