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It was indeed in the costume of Albrecht – the lovesick suitor of the tragic Giselle – that, just over two years ago, the young dancer was promoted to Étoile. Alongside Dorothée Gilbert, who performed as Giselle, he wrote a new chapter in the history of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Yet at the time of this consecration, Guillaume Diop was still only a Sujet – in other words, a junior soloist promoted from the corps de ballet. Like several illustrious Étoiles before him, such as Hugo Marchand and Dorothée Gilbert, he failed his first promotion competition to the rank of Coryphée (a confirmed member of the corps de ballet). In June 2021, three years after joining the company, he landed his first true solo role while still just a Quadrille substitute in the corps de ballet. That year, he performed Romeo for the first time opposite Étoile Léonore Baulac in Rudolf Nureyev’s ballet set to Prokofiev’s sublime score.

It was partly due to a series of injuries suffered by other dancers during the 2022–2023 season – notably during performances of Swan Lake – that Guillaume Diop emerged as a potential future Étoile. When the company embarked on its tour in South Korea, he was chosen to perform Albrecht alongside the celebrated Dorothée Gilbert, nearly twenty years his senior. It was then that he was officially named Étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet.

Today, he reprises this iconic role in the Paris Opera Ballet’s 2025–2026 season, on October 18 and 28, 2025. In addition, he will appear in the contemporary dance program Contrastes, running from December 1 to 31, 2025.

Pour découvrir Guillaume Diop dans Giselle, cliquez ici !

Et pour le voir dans le programme Contrastes, c’est ici !

Et pour en savoir plus sur l’actualité de l’Opéra de Paris, cliquez ici !

Guillaume Diop – c – Virginie Ribaut / Musée Grévin

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In 2021, Philip Glass’s Akhnaten has been performed on the French Riviera, winning both critical and public acclaim. The American composer Philip Glass, one of the leading figures of minimalist music, wrote a trilogy of operas on “men who changed the world in which they lived through the power of their ideas.”

By bringing together emerging artists such as Robert Wilson and Lucinda Childs, the first part, Einstein on the Beach (composed in 1976), caused a sensation and marked its era. After Akhnaten, Bertrand Rossi has outpaced the Paris Opera by programming Satyagraha for the very first time in France since its creation!

While the “Grande Boutique” is preparing a production staged by Bobbi Jene Smith for April 2026, Nice once again calls on the legendary Lucinda Childs, who will take on both direction and choreography. On October 3, 5, and 7, 2025, Léo Warynski will conduct the chorus and orchestra of the Opéra de Nice, just as he did in 2021, with a cast featuring tenor Sahy Ratia as Gandhi and Julie Robard-Gendre, also present in 2021.

An ode to peace and humanity, Satyagraha draws inspiration from Gandhi’s journey and his concept of non-violent resistance, while evoking great figures such as the writer Leo Tolstoy, the poet Rabindranath Tagore, and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The entire Opéra de Nice company will then head to the Philharmonie de Paris for a concert version of Akhnaten, which is already sold out! Philip Glass and the Opéra de Nice are riding wave after wave of success!

To see Philip Glass’ work, click here!

And to find out more about Paris Opera news, click here!

Philip Glass’ Satyagraha production at Opéra de Nice – c – Opéra de Nice

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A star among stars, it was only after a long and difficult road that Dorothée Gilbert succeeded in reaching the ultimate rank in November 2007 after a
performance of The Nutcracker.

Contrary to popular belief, she didn’t get into the prestigious Ecole de danse de l’Opéra national de Paris on the first try. It was only through hard work that she gained a place in the prestigious school on her second attempt, in 1995, at the age of 13. Like many other dancers who have gone on to become soloists or stars of the company, she spent two years as a Quadrille, i.e. replacing members of the corps de ballet.

She won prestigious awards in her first years as a professional dancer: firstly, the Prix AROP de la danse in 2003, then the Cercle Carpeaux in 2004 and the Prix Leonide Massine in Positano, Italy, as well as the Prix Ballet 2000 in Cannes in 2006. Much later, in 2022, she received the Prize for best choreographic performer from the Syndicat professionnel de la Critique Théâtre, Musique et Danse.

The duo she forms with Hugo Marchand, 10 years her junior, has also built a legend. Since their artistic encounter in 2015 during performances of Kenneth MacMillan‘s ballet Manon, the dancers have enchanted Parisian audiences with the intensity of their interpretation.

Dorothée Gilbert is a role model in the world of dance, thanks to her determination and hard work. After the performances of Giselle, she will be back in the Contrastes program with O złożony / O composite by choreographer Trisha Brown.

This is the last full season for the dancer, who turns 42 this season and will bid farewell to the stage in September 2026.

To see Dorothée Gilbert in Giselle, click here, and to see her in Contrastes, click here!

To find out more about the Paris Opera Ballet, click here!

Dorothée Gilbert in rehearsal and on stage in the ballet Giselle – c – Maria-helena Buckley & Agathe Poupeney

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Like a sextant, indispensable to long-distance navigators on the planet of classical music, the Music & Opera Guide offers an overview of the entire 2025–2026 programme. More than 570 institutions around the world, including concert halls, opera houses, orchestras and dance companies, are featured, representing more than 48,000 performances from 1 September 2025 to 30 August 2026!

With a month-by-month calendar, indexes by artist and by work, as well as profiles of singers, conductors and instrumentalists, classical music lovers can navigate the season efficiently. Thanks to the 2025-2026 Music & Opera Guide Around the World, the season of Asmik Grigorian, Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Renaud Capuçon, Riccardo Muti and many others is revealed.

The greatest institutions such as the Opéra national de Paris, the Teatro alla Scala di Milano, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Royal Ballet & Opera have their own dedicated chapter, providing all the information you need to book your seats with a detailed map of each venue so you don’t miss a thing during this wonderful 2025-2026 season.

Order your Guide and enjoy an exceptional season around the world, at the opera and in concert halls, by clicking here!

To know all about the musical institutions of the Guide, it’s here!

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Offenbach, the undisputed master of opéra bouffe during the Second Empire, reveals a whole new side to his artistic genius in this work. Based on the fantastical short stories of E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Tales of Hoffmann is an opera that brings together several tales about the unhappy loves of the writer, an iconic figure of European Romanticism. Unfortunately, Offenbach died before seeing his work performed on stage at the Opéra-Comique. Several revisions and additions that have been made to the work are both a real headache for musicologists and a veritable playground. There are several versions of The Tales that the German director explores.

This new production marks the return of an essential masterpiece to the Opéra-Comique repertoire. A regular at the institution, tenor Michael Spyres plays Hoffmann, opposite his Muse, played by Héloïse Mas. Conducting, Pierre Dumoussaud confirms his status as a leading interpreter of the Offenbach repertoire. Performances will run from 25 September to 5 October 2025 and are set to be one of the highlights of the opera season.

Get your tickets for The Tales of Hoffmann at the Opéra-Comique by clicking here!

For more information on the latest news from the Opéra-Comique, click here!

Les Contes d’Hoffmann – c – Klara Back – Opera National du Rhin janvier 2025

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When, in 2020, Klaus Mäkelä became Musical Advisor and then Music Director in September 2021, the Orchestre de Paris caused a stir by appointing such a young conductor, almost unknown to the wider public. A bold move that paid off: Mäkelä, then only 24, was quickly noticed by other major orchestras such as the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Amsterdam has offered him the post of Chief Conductor beginning in 2027, while Chicago has called upon him to succeed Riccardo Muti, also from September 2027. With so many commitments—while still holding his post as Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic since 2020—the young Finnish maestro had to make a choice, and Paris was the one he sacrificed.

The appointment of Esa-Pekka Salonen, though sometimes anticipated, does not come with the same surprise as Mäkelä’s arrival. Salonen first conducted the Orchestre de Paris in 1988 and has returned almost every season since. A renowned conductor, composer, and initiator of cultural projects, Salonen has distinguished himself at the helm of several prestigious ensembles, including the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony, where he has served as brilliant Principal Conductor or Music Director.

Olivier Mantei, General Director of the Cité de la musique – Philharmonie de Paris, stated: “We are very happy and proud to welcome to the head of the Orchestre de Paris an exceptional musician who has maintained a close relationship with the orchestra for many years, and who has left a lasting mark on the ensembles he has led worldwide through his talent and vision. Esa-Pekka Salonen is an artist deeply anchored in today’s world, and we look forward to working with him on the artistic and societal challenges of the present and future, through the chair specially created for him by the Philharmonie de Paris.”

At the head of the Orchestre de Paris, Salonen will follow in the footsteps of Charles Munch, Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi, Daniel Harding, and his fellow Finn, Klaus Mäkelä.

To discover the upcoming season of the Orchestre de Paris with Esa-Pekka Salonen, click here!

To learn more about the conductor’s latest news, click here!

Esa Pekka Salonen & Klaus Makela – c – Ava du Parc & Marco Boggreve

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The French conductor, who has led the Brussels institution since 2016, will continue his mission alongside the new General and Artistic Director Christina Scheppelmann, who recently took office.

According to Scheppelmann—who has long known the artist—renewing his contract was a top priority from the very beginning of her tenure. “Extending his mandate was one of my very first objectives when I was appointed. La Monnaie is fortunate to have, in its Music Director, not only such a talented conductor, but also a passionate artist deeply devoted to music and opera, beloved by both the musicians and the audience,” she declared, adding that she is delighted their terms will now end at the same time.

For nearly a decade, Alain Altinoglu has continued to shape La Monnaie’s musical identity in profound ways. Under his baton, the orchestra and audiences have explored a wide range of repertoires through major opera productions, from Wagner to Poulenc. In concert, he effortlessly traverses paths from Mozart to Stravinsky, via Mahler, Berlioz and Ravel, cementing his central role in the artistic influence of La Monnaie-De Munt.

Much to the disappointment of Parisians wanted Altinoglu at the helm of the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris, the continuation of his mandate ensures a stable and ambitious artistic vision for the coming seasons. A major highlight of this extension will be the opening of La Monnaie’s new season with Verdi’s Falstaff, staged by Laurent Pelly.

The eagerly awaited production is already close to sold out—a clear sign of the enduring appeal of both the French conductor and the institution.

To book your tickets for the Fastaff’s performances, click here!

To learn more about Alain Altinoglu and his actuality, it’s here!

Alain Altinoglu – c – Vincent Callot

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About him, Stefano Pace states in the release: “His exacting standards, his sense of theatre, his musical generosity and his constant commitment are major assets for our institution, and make him a privileged partner.”

It is indeed true that the understanding between the two men seems perfect. Together, they are building a bold programme that is reshaping the operatic offering in Liège. Several great masterpieces that had never before been staged at the Théâtre Royal have finally been presented, to the great delight of Belgian and international music lovers.

This programming has also enabled the conductor to broaden his repertoire, as with the Tristan und Isolde adventure. This masterpiece, conducted by the maestro for the first time, also saw soprano Lianna Haroutounian’s role debut as Isolde.

The 2025–2026 season, faithful to the spirit of the grand repertoire, opens with a highly anticipated production: Gounod’s Faust, the great masterpiece of French opera, performed by a stellar cast including Nino Machaidze, John Osborn, Erwin Schrott and Markus Werba (from 12 September 2025), under the inspired direction of Giampaolo Bisanti, who thus launches his new season in Liège. He declares: “I am deeply honored by this renewal of my mandate, which moves me as much as it commits me. The Royal Opera of Wallonia-Liège has become a true artistic home for me, where I feel supported, inspired and stimulated with every production.”

Upcoming highlights include The Queen of Spades by Tchaikovsky in February–March 2026, and Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia in April!

To purchase  your tickets for the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège now, click here!

To learn more about his latest news, click here.

Giampaolo Bisanti – c – Jonathan Berger & visuals by ORWL

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