Opéra de Nice

The Opéra de Nice stands in Nice, France, as the city’s principal venue for opera, ballet, and classical music. Its architecture gives this performing arts venue a permanent place in the city. Wheelchair access is available throughout the building.

Its history began in 1776, when Marquess Alli-Maccarani established a wooden theatre called the petit théâtre en bois. The theatre reopened as the Théâtre Royal in 1790. In 1826, Nice purchased and demolished it, then built a replacement that opened in 1828 with Giovanni Pacini’s Il Barone di Bolsheim. A gas leak during Lucia di Lammermoor caused a fire on 23 March 1881, destroying the theatre and killing three singers. François Aune designed the rebuilt house, which reopened on 7 February 1885 with Verdi’s Aida.

The venue houses the Ballet Nice Méditerranée and the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra. Its programme includes operas, ballets, and classical concerts. The associated Diacosmie creates costumes and sets while providing rehearsal spaces for the orchestra and ballet. The theatre also hosted French premieres of works including Eugene Onegin, Manon Lescaut, and Katerina Ismailova. Its most striking historical detail remains the 1885 reopening with Aida.