Combining sensibility, elegance of singing, diction and malice mixed with a strong stage presence, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt has gained an international reputation by his portraits of Platté de Rameau and Arnalta (l’Incoronazione di Poppea) of Monteverdi, the 'character' roles, such as Offenbach's Four Valets (Offenbach's Tales), Chabrier's Phew (The Star), Ravel's Child and Spells and The Spanish Hour. 

Beginning his musical journey as a classical saxophonist and conductor, Fouchécourt became a singer after singer Cathy Berberian encouraged him to work on his voice. In 1986, he discovered 'early music' with William Christie while singing in the ensemble Les Arts Florissant and participated in the now historic recreation of the Opera Atys de Lully at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. With Marc Minkowski, he recorded the title roles of Hippolyte et Aricie by Rameau, Titon and Aurore by Mondonville and Acis and Galatée by Lully and Hervé Niquet with numerous religious plays. He made his debut in 1993 at the Amsterdam Opera with L'Incoronazione di Poppea alongside Christophe Rousset.

In 1996, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt was hired to sing the roles of Poulenc's Mamelles de Tirésias 'Husband' directed by Seiji Ozawa at the Saito Kinen Festival, which marked his international debut and provided him access to major venues, including but not limited to London's Covent Garden, New York City Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Opera Bastille, etc. He has also appeared at festivals in Aix-en-Provence, Salzburg, and more. He is a frequent guest of the Boston Symphonic, National of France, Vienna Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Furthermore, he has worked with prestigious conductors including Charles Dutoit, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Valery Gergiev, Yannick Nézet- Seguin, James Levine, Antonio Pappano, and Sir Simon Rattle.

Jean-Paul Fouchécourt promotes diverse styles, from French "l'air de cour" art to Romance, and French melody. He has given recitals in New York at Florence Gould Hall with Dalton Baldwin, at Carnegie Hall with Steven Stubs and Ryan Brown, and at the Wigmore Hall in London with Graham Johnson. He has joined pianists Jeff Cohen, Christian Ivaldi, Jean-Marc Luisada, Suzanne Manoff, Roger Muraro, Alain Planès, Alexandre Tharaud and Jean-Claude Pennetier at numerous concerts in France. In 2015, he produced a menu show: Pleasures with the pianist Jamal Moquadem and the director Jean Lacornerie at the Théâtre de la Croix Rousse in Lyon, France. 

With over a hundred recordings, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt has a broad repertoire. He is delighted to pass on his experience to the younger generation, and has been working at the Studio de l'Opéra de Lyon (SOL) since 2011. He is a Knight in the National Order of Merit.