© E. Bauer/OnP
The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 5 January 1875 in Paris, France. In 2025, the Opéra national de Paris will celebrate the 150th anniversary of this emblematic Parisian building with an Anniversary Gala on 24 January that will bring together the artists of the Opéra national de Paris. The gala will be broadcast on French television.
In December 1858, Emperor Napoleon III decided to build a new opera house in Paris. A few years later, a young, almost unknown 35-year-old architect, Charles Garnier, won the competition to design the building. On 5 January 1875, the Palais Garnier was inaugurated with great fanfare.
In a few days' time, the Palais Garnier will be celebrating its 150th anniversary, and the Paris Opera plans to mark the occasion throughout next year with concerts, exhibitions (including a 150th anniversary exhibition in autumn 2025, conceived with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France to understand how the Palais Garnier became the emblem it is today), and also meetings or even artist residencies.
An “Anniversary Gala” on 24 January 2025
The celebrations will begin on 24 January 2025 with an “Anniversary Gala” that will bring together “all the artists of the Paris Opera”, including “musicians from the Orchestra, artists from the Chorus and the Academy, ballet stars and dancers, students from the Ballet School”, as well as guest artists: Lea Desandre and lutenist Thomas Dunford, Juan Diego Flórez, Lisette Oropesa and Ludovic Tézier, under the musical direction of Thomas Hengelbrock.
Although details of the programme have yet to be announced, it will be inspired by the inaugural gala of the Palais Garnier, held in 1875 to mark the opening of the building. The January 2025 gala will be directed by Victoria Sitjà, a former artist in residence at the Académie.
Open to the public, this evening (organised by AROP) will raise funds for the Paris Opera's activities. The gala will also be filmed and broadcast on French television (on France 5, and then probably online): on 24 January 2025, the channel will devote a "special evening" to the Opéra Garnier with the broadcast of the documentary Une journée extraordinaire: 24 heures à l'Opéra Garnier (An extraordinary day: 24 hours at the Opéra Garnier), directed by Priscilla Pizzato, followed by the "slightly delayed" rebroadcast of the gala. A double opportunity to (re)discover the building and above all the people who bring it to life, both on stage and backstage.
free translation of our article first published in French
the 19 of December, 2024 | Print
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