In 1993, he was engaged by the Opera de Paris-Bastille to sing in a new production of Benvenuto Cellini by Berlioz. In 2000, he performed in Heloise and Abelard by Australian composer Peter Tahourdin, toured France and Poland with Mozart’s Requiem, sung at the Bitola International Festival and gave a recital of operatic arias with the Hawaii Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2002, Damien Top took part at “Musica in Mostre” a festival of contemporary music in Torino, sang and conducted the cantata L’oiseau a vu tout cela by Sauguet at the Institut de France-Académie Française for the celebration of the Centenary of Vercors. In 2006, he sang in Torino, Palermo, Paris, Bailleul, Cassel, Tournus, Honolulu, Sherbrooke, etc.
Damien Top has studied Analysis, Harmony and the History of Music at the Paris Conservatoire with Michel Qu´val. Under the guidance of Sergiu Celibidache, he began research into musical aesthetics and attended seminars in the phenomenology of music. With these two master teachers, he was introduced to orchestral conducting. He has conducted the Orchestre du Festival Roussel, Joseph Jongen Ensemble, Czech Chamber Soloists, and Prague Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, among others. In his programs, he particularly focuses on the music of our time (Roussel, d’Indy, Delvincourt, Enesco, Jersild, Martinet, Sandagerdi, Martinu, Looten, Macha, Ratovondrahety, Tahourdin, etc.).
Son of the poet Andrée Brunin, Damien Top has given poetry recitals (Alliance Française de Sydney, Université de Melbourne, Société d’Honneur Pi-Delta-Phi d’Hawaii, Wo International Center, etc.) He explores a wide range of the repertoire and introduces the audience to the poetry of our time (Anthologie de la poesie française, Poetes féminins contemporains, Centenaire Verlaine,etc.)
Biographical and musicological work on Albert Roussel has been a particular feature of Damien Top’s research and in 1989, in the composer’s birthplace, he devoted an entire recital to Roussel’s mélodies. His biography of Albert Roussel was published in 2000 by Editions Seguier and he has also written full length studies on Sergei Rachmaninov and Rene de Castera, for which he was awarded the Prix du Salon du Livre d’Hossegor. Consequently, he is frequently invited to speak on radio and television (France Musique, France Culture, Hawaii Public Radio, Radio Suisse Romande, FR3, NPS Dutch TV); to present papers on French music at international conferences and to give masterclasses in French art song at University of Melbourne, Monash University, La Trobe University, University of Performing Arts at Wollongong, Wellington University, James Maddison University, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Montreal.
In response to his fine talents as a singer, several composers have written music especially for him: Aboulker, Carr, Choveaux, Cox, Dunleavy, Feron, Flament, Joly, Pinchard, Surianu, Tahourdin, Trumble, Werder, and Jacques Chailley who considers “l’art de Damien Top est exemplaire.” Among others, Top recorded Massenet song’s cycles (BNL), De Coussemaker’s romances (RCP), Goue’s songs (Recital)
Damien Top writes the musical chronic in the monthly “Politique Magazine.” Member of the SACEM, his compositions have been played in France, Belgium, Italy, United States. Involved in many organizations, he is at the head of the “Centre International Albert-Roussel” which he founded in 1992 and the director of the “Albert-Roussel International Festival.”
In 2002 Damien Top was awarded with the “Prix Charles Oulmont — Fondation de France” for his outstanding career.