Welcome to the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie

Born in 2000 out of a merger between the opera and the orchestra, the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier Occitanie is an association established under the law of 1901, supported by the Metropolis of Montpellier, the Region of Occitania, the Ministry of Culture, the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, and the City of Montpellier.

In 2014, Valérie Chevalier was appointed as Managing Director of the Opéra Orchestre.

Roderick Cox has been named music director of the Opera Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie. He will begin his tenure during the 2024–25 season.

Now comprising 88 musicians, the Orchestra takes on the entire lyric and symphonic repertoire from the 18th century to contemporary times and can rejoice to see its history engraved on more than forty public recordings.

The American conductor will take up his post in September 2024.

A key role, the first violin is the second-most senior position in the orchestra after the conductor. Supersoloist is a special title given to musicians not only able to play solo parts during a concert but also to perform certain concertos.

Cyrille Tricoire De Haro   up-close with the public during the concert Au Cœur de l'Orchestre at the Opéra Berlioz.

Having been invited to perform at all the musical stages in France, the choir has a broad repertoire including grand choruses from operas, operettas, musical theater, melodies in French, Italian, German, and Slavic languages, as well as religious and contemporary music.

The Opéra Junior Choir is an ensemble of young singers aged from 6 to 25 who are trained by the Opéra Orchestre in stage arts, singing, and acting. 

Following on from their show built around  The Tempest by William Shakespeare, the ensemble Les Ombres worked with the Opéra Junior Choir to create the musical and choreographic performance Step In!

The Opéra Comédie is an Italian style theater built in 1888 with a capacity of 1,200 spectators distributed across five levels.

Opened in 1990, the Opéra Berlioz is located within the Corum at the Palais des Congrés in Montpellier. 

The vast Opéra Berlioz venue can seat up to 2,000 viewers and offers exceptional acoustics.

A few minutes before the start of a performance, 2,000 spectators take their seats at the Opéra Berlioz. 

The opera Tristan and Isolde by Richard Wagner performed as a concert (unstaged), conducted by Michael Schønwandt at the Opéra Berlioz.

Don Pasquale by Donizetti, by directors Valentin Schwarz and Andrea Cozzi in 2019 at the Opéra Comédie.

A new, very rock 'n' roll production of The Barber of Seville by Rossini entrusted to the producer Rafael R. Villalobos, in September 2020.

The opera also provides an excellent opportunity to enjoy staged performances, such as Verdi's Simon Boccanegra created by David Hermann.

Geneviève de Brabant (Offenbach), adapted for the Opéra Junior at the Opéra Comédie.

For opera to work its magic on even the youngest audiences and their families, the Opéra Orchestre adapts its shows to perform them in shorter, more fun-filled formats.

There is definitely a place for theater at the opera too, such as with the show La Soupe Pop, a musical and poetic immersion set in a soup kitchen.

Not to be outdone, the dance program at the Opéra Orchestre benefits from an outstanding partnership with Montpellier Danse, resulting in several contemporary shows each season.

Every year, Opéra Orchestre attracts more than 150,000 spectators to the 200 events taking place during its season of performances. Why not join them!