Founded in 2016 by Sarah Koné, the Maîtrise Populaire de l’Opéra-Comique is an artistic, educational, and social project that supports and trains over 120 young people, aged 8 to 25, in the performing arts.
Led by a team of fifteen teachers, the programme focuses on vocal training while embracing a multidisciplinary approach, offering classes in dance, singing, piano, tap, theatre, and musical studies. This rich and varied curriculum enables young talents to flourish throughout the year.
Stage performances are at the heart of our educational programme: the Maîtrise Populaire is called upon around thirty times per season for concerts and performances, both at the Salle Favart and off site. Each season, a production entirely dedicated to the Maîtrise Populaire is staged.
La Maîtrise Populaire de l'Opéra-Comique dans Archipel(s), 2024 © Stefan Brion
his year, Louis Langrée, director of the Opéra-Comique, will take to the pit alongside the Orchestre des Frivolités Parisiennes for four performances of the opera Brundibár.
Each year, recruitment takes place through auditions held at the theatre and in schools across the Île-de-France region which have been identified as part of the French priority education network (REP and REP+). This recruitment tour ensures the Maîtrise Populaire remains socially and geographically diverse, upholding the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion championed by the theatre.
The Opéra-Comique Académie, a centre of artistic excellence dedicated to French singing and the art of spoken-song, is once again training a new generation of performers this year.
It fosters the transmission of knowledge between generations of artists, supports the refinement of interpretation, and preserves the distinctive art of French singing this art of "speaking at a higher pitch.”
The Académie brings fresh perspectives to the operatic arts and fosters the emergence of innovative artistic formats through its residency programmes. These young talents benefit from dedicated rehearsal spaces, training sessions, and creative environments, allowing them to explore and refine their artistry.
After making his conducting debut with Zémire et Azor at the Opéra-Comique in 2023, Théotime Langlois de Swarte returns this season to lead some performances of Iphigénie en Tauride, sharing musical direction with Louis Langrée.
