Opéra de Massy

Located just under 10 miles South of Paris, the Opéra de Massy is the newest opera house in France. The town of Massy commissioned architectural firm AO2A Architectes to build it, and Jack-Henri Soumère has been its Artistic Director since 1993.

The only opera house in the suburbs, the Opéra de Massy is opening the doors to the world of opera for local audiences. Every season, thousands of people from Massy, Essonne, and the nearby areas have the opportunity to discover the great works of the operatic canon.

The Opéra de Massy is an unusual sort of place, and, over the years, it has crafted its own, unique image thanks to a high-quality program that both remains respectful of the canon and open to contemporary innovation. The first venue to be named a "scène conventionnée lyrique" (a performance space specially chosen for state assistance and subsidization) by the French government, the Opéra is a member of the French professional association of opera companies, the Réunion des Opéras de France.
Its program is centered around the great operas, performed alongside other great French productions by internationally renowned performers or promising young talent. There are also dance shows by international ballet companies, concerts of classical and choral music, and theater and school productions.

The Opéra de Massy aims in particular to welcome the people of the disadvantaged neighborhood where it is located, and it actively works to combat prejudices about opera, which is too often thought to be an inaccessible and elitist art form.
The Cultural Action department is constantly developing ways to raise awareness about the art of opera. It works to develop its audiences' knowledge and taste for live performances, launching numerous projects to raise awareness such as backstage tours, exhibitions, public rehearsals, debates, opportunities to meet the performers, conferences centering on the program, concerts outside of the venue itself, and more. Thanks to its educational team, the Opéra de Massy can hold events for specific audiences: schools, conservatoires, and art schools, works councils, local projects, social centers, hospitals, detention centers, organizations for social integration, leisure centers, and more.

The Opéra de Massy is supported by the town of Massy, the Essonne department, the Ile-de-France region, and the Direction Régionale des Affaires Culturelles, a regional government service for cultural support. It also receives support from partners for specific projects, including the Essonne Prefecture, the Fondation SNCF (a charitable foundation maintained by the French rail system), Paris-Saclay University, and DILCRAH (the French governmental organization for combating racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia), as well as private partners including the Société Générale bank and the Essonne chamber of commerce.