(Credit: James Bort / OnP)

The Opéra de Paris has extended Alexander Neef’s contract.

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, decided, on the proposal of Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture, to entrust Alexander Neef with a second mandate running from Sept. 1, 2026 until the end of the 2031-2032 season.

In September 2024, together with the Minister of Culture, he presented a renovation project that will begin in 2027 and involve all four sites of the Paris Opera: the Palais Garnier, the Opéra Bastille, the École de Danse in Nanterre and the Ateliers Berthier. This project aims to modernize technical and stage equipment, renovate spaces to improve conditions for audiences, artists and employees, and accelerate the ecological transition.

Neef was appointed Director Designate of the Paris Opera in 2019 and took over duties as Director General ahead of schedule on Sept. 1, 2020. During his tenur, works such as “Nixon in China,” “A Quiet Place,” “Fin de partie,” and “Ercole amante.” He also launched the programme ADO, France’s first youth lyric orchestra created in 2023, and the Paris Opera children’s choir, which will have its first season in 26/27. In 2023, he also launched the streaming platform POP – Paris Opera Play.