The prestigious Toulon opera house, which opened in 1862, has hosted many great operas, symphonies and bold productions over the years. For the past 20 years the programming has been helmed by Claude-Henri Bonnet. In September he passes on the torch to the opera’s new artistic and general director, Jérome Brunetière. A noted figure in cultural circles, Brunetière has opera in his blood. It’s a world he discovered early on, as a choir boy. After graduating from the prestigious HEC business school in Paris, he pursued his musical education in Switzerland and Denmark, where he sang in opera productions as a chorist. In 2004 he became sales and marketing director for the Opéra National de Paris. During his 15-year stint as secretary general of the Aix-en-Provence festival, he attracted new audiences to opera. In 2020, he created the festival’s Digital Stage, keeping in touch with audiences despite the lockdown. In Toulon, he is aiming for renewal as well as continuity of his predecessors’ work. For the next two-and-a-half years, productions will be staged in major theatres around Toulon while the opera house is being renovated. “We have to reach out to all audiences, with intelligently-designed actions to incite them to come and discover opera. We must open the doors with a combined programme of classic and contemporary works.”
By Mathilde Hingray
Côteweb 2021, création de site Internet sur Nice