The threat was floating in the air, the ax fell this Thursday, February 2: the Rouen Normandy Opera, by decision of the board of directors, will close its doors for six weeks to “preserve the activity of the new school year as well as possible. 2023-2024”.
In its press release, the Opéra de Rouen, located in the heart of the metropolis but which radiates throughout Normandy, explains that “despite the constant efforts to rationalize and the savings still recently made by the Opéra […], the budgetary balances necessary to maintain all of the programming could not be achieved”.
Despite good feedback from the public, the Rouen Opera has found itself in recent months faced with inflation, particularly with regard to energy prices. A significant burden for establishments offering shows of this magnitude.
As a result of these six weeks of closure, five shows are cancelled: the participatory opera Cendrillon or the Grand Hôtel des Songes (April 1-5); the opera The Convert (scheduled on May 4 and 6); the family concert “Contes en musique – les Notes gourmandes” on April 12; Cordes dansantes (April 13 and 14) and the chamber music concert Memories and Metamorphoses on May 7.
Concerts that should have welcomed 15,000 spectators, including 12,000 children. “It’s heartbreaking for us”, regrets Loïc Lachenal, general manager of the Opéra de Rouen Normandie.
