Name: The Inexhaustible Fabric of Dreams
Start: 2025-04-17T20:00:00
Location: Clermont-Ferrand Opera-Theater

The Clermont Auvergne Opera has unveiled an exciting lineup of events, offering something for every taste this season. From the dramatic narratives of Verdi's Il Trovatore to the enchanting essence of Slavic music, there's an array of performances to captivate audiences. Highlights include a unique take on Rossini's The Barber of Seville, the profound collaboration of Natalie Dessay and Philippe Cassard, and an innovative chamber opera inspired by Aboriginal legends. With competitions and workshops further enriching the calendar, this season promises to be a vibrant celebration of opera and music.

A Journey through Song: The Clermont Auvergne Opera Season Unveiled

As spring blossoms in Clermont-Ferrand, the city becomes a hub of rich operatic experiences. From the exquisite reunion of Natalie Dessay and Philippe Cassard to the whimsical My Little Operas, the array of events offers something for every opera enthusiast. Highlights also include the grand Tosca performance, the prestigious 28th International Opera Singing Competition, and inventive new works like Sophie Lacaze's chamber opera inspired by Aboriginal culture. Join us as we delve into a world where music and storytelling transcend borders, resonating with audiences of all ages.

A Vibrant Opera Season: From Classics to Contemporary Revelations

Opera enthusiasts and newcomers alike are in for a treat as the Clermont Auvergne Opéra presents a series of captivating events in 2025. From intimate performances like 'My Little Operas' to grand productions such as 'Tosca', and the renowned '28th International Singing Competition', these events highlight a blend of classical and contemporary operatic experiences. With standout performances and unique cultural themes, these events promise to enrich the artistic landscape of Clermont-Ferrand, inviting audiences into a world of lyrical art and storytelling.

Opera Delights in Clermont-Ferrand: A Cultural Extravaganza

From the captivating performances of Puccini's Tosca to the enchanting sounds of Handel's Acis & Galatea, the Clermont Auvergne Opéra presents a diverse array of opera events that promise to leave audiences in awe. Join us as we delve into the world of opera with competitions, workshops, and unique cultural narratives that celebrate the rich tapestry of musical art. Embark on this operatic journey with us as we explore the highlights and nuances of these remarkable events.

A Journey Through Operatic Excellence in Clermont-Ferrand

Fabrice Jünger

Hervé Cligniez

Claudio Bettinelli

Gaël Rassaert

Céline Lagoutière

Estelle Gourinchas

Valérie Dulac

Els Janssens

Xavier de Lignerolles

Paul-Alexandre Dubois

Dan Félice

Elis Janoville

Clermont Auvergne Opéra

There is perhaps nothing simpler than La Bohème and yet nothing more moving: a young man and a young girl meet, fall in love, are separated by life and yet find each other again before a final farewell.

In this work, Puccini was able to create unforgettable images: Mimi entering, like a muse, into the poet's room, the love duet under the moon, the illuminated Grand Café Momus, the impossible farewells in the icy morning, death finally on a miserable bed.

La Bohème evokes what haunts us all: love that blazes and carries us to heaven, youth that flees, and time that destroys everything. In 1896, Puccini still had many masterpieces ahead of him, but perhaps he would never again find this clarity and splendor of melody.

La Bohème

Maison de la Culture Clermont-Ferrand

In 1921, Maurice Ravel bought a quaint little house in the small town of Montfort-l'Amaury, near Paris. He moved in with his books, his cat, his bird, Chinese vases, Japanese prints, and other oddities. But since his mother's death, he had to get used to waking up alone, doing his laundry, preparing his breakfast... Maurice smokes (far too much), Maurice composes, Maurice has insomnia, Maurice chooses his tie, Maurice plays with his cat... these are the memories that the doctor treasures of his dear friend and shares with us.

Explore the wonderful world of this fabulous composer, whose 150th birthday is celebrated in 2025, with puppeteer Charlotte Devyver, pianists Sergei Redkin and Christia Hudziy, and baritone Guillaume Paire.

A show by Sophie van der Stegen to introduce young and old to the poetic work of Maurice Ravel, an original creation by the Artichoke Company, founded in 2011, whose objective is to open classical music to all audiences, with humor and poetry.

Maurice, piano et marionnette

Opéra-Théâtre Clermont-Ferrand

A flame setting bodies and hearts ablaze, Don Giovanni consumes and consumes women in a frantic race that makes him feel alive. But in these endless conquests, isn't it, more than pleasure, the eager search for challenges that drives him? Isn't he a mirror of our addiction to desire, excitement, and consumption that leads us to the abyss?

For his staging of this essential Mozart opera, Jean-Yves Ruf invites the musicians of Julien Chauvin's Concert de la Loge onto the stage, in a unique scenography that favors all the porosity between instrumentalists and soloists. A complex version of Don Giovanni where the character oscillates between his inner slopes.

For this opera, ARCAL has opted for youth, with the cream of the rising generation of French singers for a vibrant and contemporary interpretation of this timeless myth.

Don Giovanni

Beyond its apparent grandeur, Aida is above all a drama of the intimate, a love triangle between Amneris, a woman of power; Aida, the dominated foreigner; and Radamès, torn between glory, patriotic duty, and forbidden love. The opera explores attachment to the land, uprooting, and the dream of elsewhere.

In this contemporary reinterpretation, the figures of Ramfis and Amonasro merge into a single, two-faced character: "The Man in the Shadows," the embodiment of the forces that crush human passions. The production relies on four singers and three musicians, including an electronic musician, blending original vocal lines with contemporary sonic influences for an Aida that is both faithful to Verdi and resolutely modern.

Aïda déchaînée

In 2026, Clermont Auvergne Opéra invites you to an exceptional event!
The goal is simple: to introduce you to the backstage of opera houses and the lyrical art in a fun and interactive way! How? By exploring the secrets of the wings or by participating in tours, workshops, conferences and meetings with artists and technicians. A multitude of activities to share to better understand the professions and the magic that operate behind each performance.

You will also discover a musical tale ( from 3 years old) adapted from the France Musique podcast Les Aventures d' Octave et Mélo, the fruit of the creative work of Adèle Molle, who will lead workshops this season with the residents of the Quartier Saint-Jacques, in conjunction with the Centre Georges Brassens.

The Emmanuel Chabrier Conservatory will also participate in this event, which is always popular with the public.

Tous à l’Opéra!

Winners of the 28th Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Competition.

Léontine Maridat-Zimmerlin and Louis Dechambre embody a new generation of talented and committed opera artists. Members of the Generation Opera 25-26 class, they stand out for their remarkable careers and multidisciplinary approach.

Winners of the latest edition of the Clermont-Ferrand International Singing Competition, which for the very first time rewarded a piano-voice duo, Léontine and Louis perfectly illustrate the youth and audacity of the current lyric scene.

For this recital, the duo will benefit from an artistic residency at the Château de Parentignat and the advice of pianist Antoine Palloc.

Duo Piano – Voix

Join us at the Clermont-Ferrand Opera House for a sneak preview of the highlights of the upcoming opera season! A friendly evening filled with musical surprises, screenings, and encounters with the artists and the Clermont Auvergne Opera team.

Come share our enthusiasm for a season dedicated to creation, emotion and the great works of the repertoire!

Présentation de la saison 2026/2027

Clermont Auvergne Opéra supports and accompanies this choral singing project led by Catherine de Marnhac. Around a hundred children from the department will perform the most famous arias by Mozart, Bizet, Verdi and Offenbach…

Canto l’Opéra

Orpheus and Eurydice is a true operatic masterpiece, blending pure emotion with musical elegance.
Inspired by the ancient myth, it tells the moving story of Orpheus's journey to the Underworld to bring his beloved back to life. Carried by sublime arias and poignant orchestration, this opera celebrates the power of love and song in the face of death.

In partnership with the Vichy Opera, Clermont Auvergne Opéra allows you to attend this opera by giving you a reduced rate on the price of the ticket and by providing you with a shuttle from Clermont-Fd to take you to Vichy (Round-trip shuttle fare excluding the price of the show: €10 – Please note: Limited capacity)

Pre-book your ticket and travel with the Clermont Auvergne Opéra box office. Once your seat has been pre-booked, the Vichy Opera will contact you to confirm your ticket reservation.

Orphée et Eurydice

Vichy Opera House

A Song of the Earth is a unique musical and poetic experience which, through irresistible movements, will draw you into a joyful popular dance to make you experience the music and the words, with your whole body and your whole soul.

This show brings together three unique voices: Gustav Mahler, with The Song of the Earth , a great symphonic fresco inhabited by the beauty of the world and the quest for eternity; Marcelle Delpastre, an Occitan peasant poet, who writes of a living, organic, mystical earth; and André Minvielle, a singer, sound poet and improviser whose presence connects orality and improvisation to the sources of writing. These three artists combine the infinitely small – the earth as matter, language, everyday life, terrestrial life – and the infinitely large – the cosmos, memory, eternity, the life of the soul.

On stage, the voices of André Minvielle, Romie Estèves, and Juliette Minvielle—a blend of lyrical singing, scat, poetry, and improvisation—join twelve instrumentalists to create a vibrant fresco, somewhere between symphonic work and popular energy. A sensitive and lively journey, from the most intimate to the most cosmic, where words, sounds, and emotions sweep you away.

Un Chant de la Terre

La Coopérative de Mai

As part of Lyrique en quartier(s) , Clermont Auvergne Opéra offers each season to young people from priority neighborhoods of Clermont-Ferrand to participate, in a school setting, in the creation of an original lyrical show. Supervised by professionals, the students will work all year before presenting their show on the stage of the Opera-Theater.

Okilélé is a rich and moving work, which touches audiences of all ages by delicately addressing universal subjects.

Okilélé

Blood of the Glacier explores the profound repercussions of climate change. In the near future, the accelerated melting of the ice caps releases toxic red algae, attracting destructive mountain tourism upstream and contaminating waterways downstream. At the heart of this chaos, a disoriented family tries to find its way back to each other, swept away by a story beyond their grasp—that of the climate and of all humanity. Between past and present, between humans and the Earth, a quest for reconciliation emerges. This intimate tale, carried by a lyrical and musical form with strong poetic resonances, becomes a collective space for reflection and dialogue.

This opera will be performed in a town square in an Opera Truck, the structure of which is made up of three modules: a stage, stands and a marquee-shaped extension with a reception area for the public.

Le Sang du glacier

Camion Opéra

Sophie Lacaze unveils her latest chamber opera inspired by the culture of the Australian Aborigines. A true ode to nature and the suffering world around us,  The Inexhaustible Fabric of Dreams  features a Western artist immersed in a legend from the Dreamtime about the creation of the world. This genesis accomplished, the gods of the Milky Way are stunned when looking at the Earth: they would never have thought that such beauty could exist. But when the artist wakes up, the Earth is not, is no longer as in her dream.

The Inexhaustible Fabric of Dreams

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