The Tours Opera (, ) is an opera company in Tours, France. It is housed in the , which is its main performance venue. The company administers a choir and the Orchestre Symphonique région

Centre-Val de Loire Centre-Val de Loire (, , ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (french: région Centre, link=no, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley ...

/Tours.

Laurent Campellone Laurent Campellone (born January 23, 1972) is a French Conductor (music), conductor. Known around the world for his expertise in the French opera of the Romantic era music, Romantic era, he is often compared to Michel Plasson. Critics consider him ...

is its general manager since 2020.

History

In 1791, during the selling of the

biens nationaux The biens nationaux were properties confiscated during the French Revolution from the Catholic Church, the monarchy, émigrés, and suspected counter-revolutionaries for "the good of the nation". ''Biens'' means "goods", both in the sense of "obj ...

, citizen Bucheron acquired the Cordeliers' Church and transformed it into a 800 seats theatre that opened in 1796. At the beginning, both operas (

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

…) and plays ( Molière, Marivaux...) where performed. As numerous projects for a new municipal venue were abandoned due to a lack of resources, the city decided to buy Bucheron's theater in 1867. Leon Rohard supervised the renovation and achieved a modern building that burned to the ground eleven years after the inauguration. Following a competition in which Charles Garnier was a member of the jury, Jean-Marie Hardion and Stanislas Loison were commissioned by the municipality. Equipped to accommodate 973 spectators, the theater known today as the Grand Théâtre de Tour, opened in 1889. The Grand théâtre, adapting its schedule, remained open for much of both world wars and has known a peek of activity during the années folles.

Programming

The Tours Opera produces, in average, six operas each season, recitals with renowned artists and offers over 30 symphonic concerts both in Tours and in the greater region.

References

External links

Official website

2022 season Opéra de Tours
{{Authority control Opera Opera houses in France French opera companies 1872 establishments in France Organizations established in 1872