Stefano Pace has been selected to become the new General and Artistic Director of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège starting October 2021.

Pace was selected by the Board of Directors and the General Assembly of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège who met with six people on June 20 and 22, 2021, before deliberating on the final result.

The company began looking for a new General and Artistic Director after Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera died unexpectedly. He was to have finished his term at the end of August 2022.

Ever since the start of his operatic career, Pace has worked with Jonathan Kent, Maurice Béjart, John Dexter, and Krisztof Zanussi. He worked as artistic production and management at the Opéra National de Paris, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, the Teatro Massimo Bellini in Catania, and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London. In March 2015, Pace became the Superintendent of the Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi in Trieste.

In a statement, Pace said, “I am very honored to have been chosen by the authorities of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège to take over the direction of this beautiful House. Liège is the first foreign city I have visited. During my recent visit, I rediscovered with emotion a lively and engaging city, which meets all the conditions to develop an ambitious artistic project and pursue the amazing work accomplished by my predecessor. I am very much looking forward to meeting the teams of the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège and getting to work with them, as well as putting my experience at the service of the House’s influence and development.”