Cecilia Bartoli, Opéra de Monte-Carlo Director: “Being here is a dream”
Cecilia Bartoli - Director of the Monte-Carlo Opera © OMC - Fabrice Demessence
The legendary Salle Garnier at the Casino de Monte-Carlo hosted the official presentation of the Monte-Carlo Opera’s 2025/2026 season, on Tuesday 29 April.
Cecilia Bartoli, director of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, announced a carefully crafted programme for the coming months.
Before outlining the main points, the mezzo-soprano said: “What a pleasure it is to see you again today. Thank you. Presenting a new season to you is always a special moment, always with the same passion for music, theatre and the special magic of opera.”
She commended “an adventure” featuring a variety of worlds, “as ever, powered by great artists, strong choices, and above all by your presence and support. Many of you have told us that the bar is high,” she added in her inaugural speech, and went on to announce a 2025/26 season that will be “rich, bold and full of surprises.”
2025 / 2026 programme
- The Flying Dutchman Der fliegende Holländer – Richard Wagner. 2 November 2025 at 3pm at the Grimaldi Forum
- Aida Giuseppe Verdi. 16 November 2025 – 3pm, 20 November 2025 – 8pm, 22 November 2025 – 8pm at the Grimaldi Forum – Salle des Princes.
- Bonsoir Monte-Carlo A tribute to Josephine Baker. 19 November 2025 at 7pm, 21 November 2025 at 8pm at the Grimaldi Forum – Salle des Princes.
- C’est magnfique! Concert by tenor Roberto Alagna. 1 December 2025 at 8pm at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – Salle Garnier.
- Cats Musical. From 14 to 31 December 2025 at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – Salle Garnier.
- The Valkyrie Die Walküre – Wagnerian Journey Part II. 23 January 2026 at 7pm (Gala), 25 January 2026 at 3pm, 27 January 2026 at 7pm, 29 January 2026 at 7pm at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – Salle Garnier.
- Orfeo ed Euridice Christoph Willibald Gluck – Cecilia Bartoli (Orfeo) and Mélissa Petit (Euridice). 28 January 2026 at 8pm at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – Salle Garnier.
- Così fan tutte by the Wiener Staatsoper. 9 February 2026 at 7pm at the Grimaldi Forum – Salle des Princes.
- Cecilia Bartoli & Plácido Domingo Recital with David Fray on piano. 14 February 2026 at 8pm at the Monte Carlo Opera – Salle Garnier.
- Pelléas et Mélisande Lyrical drama in 5 acts and 12 scenes. 22 February at 3 pm, 24, 26 and 28 February at 8 pm at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – Salle Garnier.
- Il trovatore Giuseppe Verdi – Drama in four parts. 22 March 2026 at 3pm, 24, 26 and 28 March 2026 at 8pm at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo – Salle Garnier.
- Elina Caranča Lyrical concert. 31 March 2026 at 8pm at the Rainier III Auditorium – salle Yakov Kreizberg.
Highlights of the season
Among the major events scheduled for this year, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo has chosen the musical Cats for the festive season. It is the first musical to be described as a blockbuster. It has enjoyed immense success all over the world with virtually no changes since it was first performed in London in 1981. The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is organising several performances from 14 to 31 December 2025. with the aim of encouraging as wide an audience as possible to discover it.
To mark the 50th anniversary of Josephine Baker’s passing, and as part of Monegasque National Day on 19 November, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo has decided to pay tribute to her with a new show featuring several of her unforgettable songs. Joséphine Baker performed regularly in the Principality, and many places in Monaco pay tribute to her today. The show will be performed by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2026, another special feature of the season is a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the ‘Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco’ orchestra, with several special events. The project, created in the spring of 2016, was immediately supported by Prince Albert II and Princess Caroline. Cecilia Bartoli brought together the finest international musicians on period instruments to form an orchestra that revives the tradition of princely court music throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco tour Europe’s finest concert halls and perform regularly in Salzburg. They are in residence at the Monte-Carlo Opera.
Interview with Cecilia Bartoli
Considered one of the world’s greatest mezzo-sopranos, Cecilia Bartoli, 58, was born in Rome. She came to prominence in the late 1980s thanks to her voice, her stage charisma and her approach to the operatic repertoire. From Salzburg to New York, via Zurich and Paris, she has graced the most prestigious stages and worked with renowned conductors such as Herbert von Karajan and Daniel Barenboim.
She also founded her own orchestra: Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco, in collaboration with Jean-Louis Grinda. Artistic Director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival since 2012, Cecilia Bartoli took over as Director of the Monte-Carlo Opera in January 2023. She is the first woman to hold the position.
From Aida to Il Trovatore, from the powerful La Walkyrie to the delicate Pelléas et Mélisande, from the magic of Cats to the tragic beauty of Orfeo ed Euridice, Cecilia Bartoli invites the audience to travel boldly through the centuries.
From Verdi to Debussy, by way of Wagner, Gluck and the musical Cats, the season mixes styles, eras and emotions. What was your guiding vision as you put together the 2025/2026 programme?
Cecilia: You know, to my mind, a programme needs to be diverse. We need to reach out to the public. Of course, there are music lovers who are passionate about opera, who love Verdi, Puccini, etc. But I think it’s also important to appeal to a slightly different audience, one that likes a challenge. This is what we did last year, for example, with a Wagner opera performed on period instruments. It was a real challenge. We used technology on stage, including screens, and our director, Davide Livermore, did a remarkable job. Even the younger generation came along!
I think it’s an interesting direction to go in, using technology to serve the music and the story. But it requires a great deal of sensitivity. And Davide Livermore has just that. He’s a musician and singer himself, and he knows how to find the right balance, the right poetry and the right resources to tell a story on stage.
We will be seeing you on stage this season. You’ll be playing Orpheus on 28 January 2026. Can you tell us more about that?
Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice is an absolutely fascinating piece! I’ll be playing Orfeo, in a ‘trouser role’. It’s a magnificent role, it demands considerable intensity: it embodies love that transcends everything, love that is capable of crossing even the world of the dead to find Eurydice. What particularly moves me is that Orpheus uses his voice as well as his instrument, the lyre, to cross through the underworld to the Elysian Fields, where Eurydice awaits him. I’m captivated by the notion that a voice has the power to calm souls and bring peace and tranquillity. We have already performed it, in Salzburg, then in Paris and Amsterdam as part of a major tour. I was keen to have a date in Monaco before the European tour ends.
And that’s not all! I will also be performing with Plácido Domingo again, in an exclusive recital on 14 February 2026. He will sing baritone, and I shall be mezzo-soprano, in a selection of Neapolitan, Italian and Spanish songs. It’s a packed season, with talented artists.
Attracting a young audience is one of your challenges, and you were talking about the technology used on stage as being one of the ways to appeal to that younger generation. Are there others?
We have works like Il Trovatore and Aida, which are aimed at the general public and music afficionados. But we’ve also included shows that are designed for families and youngsters. For the last two years, we have taken the gamble of programming a musical in December, a time of year when the theatre is traditionally closed. We started out with Phantom of the Opera. We were a little scared, because it was a real first here, but it was a huge success. So this year we’re going for it again with Cats, a musical that everyone knows!
Later in the season, we’ll be performing a fabulous French opera: Pelléas et Mélisande. It was first performed in Monaco in 1924 and the last time was 50 years ago. We decided to put it back on the bill, with a cast of promising young artists. I believe it is essential to support the new generation.
Can you describe the season in one word?
Just one? That’s hard! What can I say in one word? Look around you… Being here is a dream! The Salle Garnier… that’s my word: a dream. It’s unthinkable not to come to this magical place at least once. It’s something you have to experience: a show that features exceptional artists in a magnificent setting. I’m so looking forward to this season!
Practical details:
Information and season tickets on the Opera’s website
- Programme: from 2 November 2025 to 31 March 2026
- Venues: Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Grimaldi Forum, Auditorium Rainier III