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L'Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal
The Royal Opera of the Château de Versailles hosts over a hundred performances each season, welcoming leading international artists to its prestigious stage. The Orchestra of the Royal Opera was founded in 2019 for The Ghosts of Versailles by John Corigliano. Bringing together musicians who regularly perform with top conductors, the orchestra embraces a broad repertoire spanning the Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods.
Across the seasons, a range of conductors lead the ensemble, each offering a distinctive musical perspective according to the programme, including Gaétan Jarry, Stefan Plewniak, Victor Jacob, Théotime Langlois de Swarte, Andrés Gabetta, Justin Taylor and Chloé de Guillebon.
In the 2026/2027 season, the Orchestra of the Royal Opera takes centre stage at its home venue, with nearly 30 productions and over 50 performances, alongside an equally busy touring schedule in France and abroad.
At the Royal Opera, it appears in major new staged productions of Tarare (Salieri), Pygmalion (Rameau) / Le Cadi dupé (Gluck), The Barber of Seville (Rossini), Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Handel) and Marc-Antoine et Cléopâtre (Hasse), as well as revivals of Don Giovanni (Mozart), Roméo et Juliette (Zingarelli) and La Fille du régiment (Donizetti). The orchestra is also prominently featured in core repertoire, including Mozart’s and Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Passions, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres.
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Highly active on the touring circuit, the orchestra brings its virtuosity to leading venues in France and worldwide, notably with its flagship programme The Three Countertenors, performed around thirty times across the globe. It has appeared at major venues including the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, Teatros del Canal and the Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, the Palais Farnese in Rome, and major concert halls across Asia and Europe.
The orchestra is also a regular guest at prestigious international festivals such as the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, the Gstaad New Year Festival, the George Enescu Festival in Bucharest and the Handel Festival in Karlsruhe, as well as leading French festivals.
Since 2023, it has undertaken major tours across Asia (China, Mongolia, Vietnam, South Korea), including performing at the افتتاح of the Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi, establishing an ongoing partnership marked by co-productions and return engagements through 2026.
In July 2025, the orchestra tours North America, with performances in New York, at the Napa Valley Festival, the Festival de Lanaudière and the Toronto Summer Festival, notably in recital with Franco Fagioli and in La Fille du régiment.
It also performs with Sonya Yoncheva in Mallorca and Santander, makes its debut at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, and begins a new collaboration with soprano Nadine Sierra on a major tour across France and Spain.
A key contributor to the Château de Versailles Spectacles label (winner of the 2022 International Classical Music Award for Label of the Year), the orchestra is actively involved in its recordings. Notable releases include Pergolesi’s and Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater (Marie Van Rhijn), Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres (Stéphane Fuget), The Four Seasons by Guido and Vivaldi (Andrés Gabetta), Zingarelli’s Roméo et Juliette (Stefan Plewniak), and The Crown (Gaétan Jarry). Its discography also features award-winning recordings such as Porpora’s Polifemo, along with recital albums by Franco Fagioli, Marina Viotti and others.
The musical season
A season teeming with new productions
At the Royal Opera, the orchestra appears in major new staged productions of Tarare (Salieri), Pygmalion (Rameau) / Le Cadi dupé (Gluck), The Barber of Seville (Rossini), Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Handel) and Marc-Antoine et Cléopâtre (Hasse), alongside revivals of Don Giovanni (Mozart), Roméo et Juliette (Zingarelli) and La Fille du régiment (Donizetti). It is also featured in cornerstone sacred and concert repertoire, including Mozart’s and Fauré’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Passions, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater and Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres.
Discover the new productions
Discover the new productions
The orchestra will perform at the 9th ADOR Gala under the direction of Gaétan Jarry, in a unique and exclusive concert programme.
ON TOUR IN FRANCE AND AROUND THE WORLD
The Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal on tour !
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera, highly active on tour, showcases its virtuosity on major stages and at leading festivals in France and around the world. Anchored by its flagship programme The Three Countertenors, performed some thirty times internationally, it appears across Europe, Asia and North America, regularly collaborates with acclaimed artists, and develops lasting partnerships, affirming its global artistic reach.
More info
More info
Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal recordings
The discographic label’s projects
A key ensemble of the Château de Versailles Spectacles label (winner of the 2022 International Classical Music Award for Label of the Year) the Orchestra of the Royal Opera plays an active role in its recording projects.
Its most acclaimed releases include Pergolesi’s and Vivaldi’s Stabat Mater under Marie Van Rhijn (Opéra Magazine’s “Diamond” award), Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres conducted by Stéphane Fuget, Vivaldi/Guido’s Four Seasons with Andrés Gabetta (Classica “Choc”), and Zingarelli’s Giulietta e Romeo under Stefan Plewniak (Classica “Choc”). Other highlights include The Crown, bringing together Purcell and Handel’s Coronation Anthems conducted by Gaétan Jarry, and Dis-moi Vénus… with Marie Perbost (France Musique’s selection).
The orchestra’s discography also features Porpora’s Polifemo (Opéra Magazine “Diamond” award), as well as a series of recital recordings with Franco Fagioli, Marina Viotti, Catherine Trottmann, Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian and Juliette Mey.
The full catalogue is available via the online shop and on all major streaming platforms.
Access the online shop
Access the online shop
WHAT WOULD THE ROYAL OPERA BE WITHOUT ITS CHOIR…
The Choir of the Royal Opera made its debut in 2022, completing the orchestra already in place and helping to establish a distinctive musical identity for the Royal Opera at the Château de Versailles.
It has since appeared in major productions in Versailles and beyond, including Lully’s Alceste under Stéphane Fuget, Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo with Jordi Savall at the Royal Opera and the Festival de la Grange au Lac, and Gounod’s Faust at the Opéra de Tours. The choir has also taken part in key staged productions such as Bizet’s Carmen (later toured in Hong Kong and Hanoi), Donizetti’s La Fille du régiment and Lully’s Atys under Leonardo García-Alarcón, as well as in major concert works including Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres, Mozart’s and Fauré’s Requiem, and Handel’s Messiah, performed both in Versailles and on tour across Europe and international festivals.
This season, the choir performs alongside the Orchestra of the Royal Opera in staged productions including new stagings of Tarare (Salieri) and The Barber of Seville (Rossini), as well as revivals of Don Giovanni (Mozart), Roméo et Juliette (Zingarelli) and La Fille du régiment (Donizetti). It also features in regular cornerstone repertoire such as Mozart’s, Handel’s and Fauré’s Requiem, and joins the orchestra in new projects including Vivaldi’s Gloria and Handel’s Dixit Dominus.
The choir has already built an extensive discography, including Gloire Immortelle under Hervé Niquet with the Orchestre de la Garde Républicaine, The Crown (Handel and Purcell coronation anthems), Dis-moi Vénus… with Marie Perbost, Lully’s Alceste under Stéphane Fuget, Arias for Velluti with Franco Fagioli, and Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail, among many others, including recordings for Le Grand Échiquier.
Full schedule
