With " At the Heart of the Orchestra ," the audience is invited to a rare experience: sitting directly on stage, among the musicians, to feel the music from within. The vibrations of the strings, the breath of the winds, the strike of the percussion… everything is perceived differently when you're up close. A powerful, vibrant, unforgettable moment. A total immersion in the beating heart of the orchestra.

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At the heart of the orchestra

Le Corum

O Fortuna! Two words, a few notes, and an entire hall holds its breath. Composed in 1937 by Carl Orff to medieval Latin and Middle High German poems, Carmina Burana is one of the most frequently performed choral works in the world. A celebration of fortune, love, and the pleasures of life, it summons an orchestral and choral energy of extraordinary magnitude. For this production, director Anne Lopez imbues the stage with a powerful scenic vision, enhanced by Mathieu Cabanes' lighting. Conductor Roderick Cox leads the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra Orchestre national Montpellier Occitanie, joined by the young voices of Opéra Junior and the Goyang Festival Choir from South Korea. Two hundred artists on stage, all dedicated to the same score. An event worthy of the work: total, collective, unforgettable.

Carmina

To mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ukrainian composer Theodor Akimenko, the Opera Orchestra is proud to present the world premiere of his 1914 opera, the manuscript of which remained buried for over a century. Freely inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale " The Ice Maiden ," the opera transports us to the heart of the Alps, to a pristine white world guarded by the Virgin, the mountain's guardian spirit. Opposite her, young Rudy, haunted by his father's death in the mountains, inaugurates a luxury hotel complex high in the mountains, under the watchful eye of the cameras. Two worlds collide: one wild and silent, the other noisy and conquering. The young collective Opera Popolare, winner of the 2025 Ring Award and artists in residence at the Opéra Orchestre, takes on the work with a resolutely contemporary perspective, deploying a visual universe where live footage, object theatre, and video games intersect to better question our relationship with nature. A sensitive and fantastical epic.

The Fairy's Kiss

Opéra Comédie

On the program: dazzling and unforgettable pieces by some of the biggest names in the American repertoire, a blend of energy, humor, and emotion. Soprano Nombulelo Yende, who captivated Montpellier audiences last season, will return alongside baritone Eric Greene. They will lend their voices to some of the most beautiful arias, accompanied by the Chorus of the National Opera, under the enthusiastic baton of Roderick Cox, the American music director who conducts this program as if inviting friends over.

New Year's Concert

In the majestic setting of the Opéra Comédie, the grand foyer transforms into a festive and colorful dance floor, designed with children in mind. Accustomed to clubs and major festivals alike, the Montpellier-based collective K-Waï will take on the challenge of getting this demanding young audience, aged 0 to 10, moving. With their mix of music from around the world, foot-tapping rhythms, and sounds that make you want to jump around, the atmosphere changes with each song. You dance, you laugh, you move… and above all, you're never bored.

The Fantastic Party

Bach's Goldberg Variations are among those: thirty variations built on a single theme, poised between architectural rigor and inventive freedom, where the mind and senses are equally engaged. On the harpsichord (the instrument for which Bach composed them), they reveal a palette of timbres and colors that the piano cannot offer. Interplay of hands, shifts in register, and a mellow sound: everything takes on a new dimension. Justin Taylor is one of those rare performers who makes their own virtuosity fade into the background. The French-American harpsichordist, founder of The Consort, puts his entire artistry at Bach's service—a musicality without ostentation, an ability to sculpt sound and vary its colors that makes each variation a world unto itself. Essential.

Goldberg Variations

Orpheus descends to the Underworld to bring Eurydice back to life. His only weapon: his voice, and the power of his song. This foundational myth was transformed by Monteverdi in 1607 into one of the first masterpieces in the history of opera, a work where the music not merely accompanies the drama, but is its very driving force. More than four centuries later, L'Orfeo has lost none of its evocative power. Its instrumental colors, its deeply felt recitatives, and its expressive choruses still speak directly to the emotions. The Jeune Orchestre Baroque Européen, under the direction of Sylvain Sartre and Margaux Blanchard, brings to this score the freshness and commitment of a new generation of musicians trained in the demands of the early style.

Mathieu Cabanes

Events

Upcoming events

22 - 27 Dec, 2026

The Fairy's Kiss · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

Dec 31, 2026 - Jan 1, 2027

New Year's Concert · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

Jan 31, 2027

The Fantastic Party · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

Apr 4, 2027

Goldberg Variations · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

22 - 25 May, 2027

Orfeo · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

Past events

Oct 10, 2026

At the heart of the orchestra · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

2 - 4 Oct, 2026

Carmina · Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

About

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