Extension of Alexander Neef’s mandate at the Paris Opera until 2032

The American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet announces the extension of Alexander Neef’s mandate as the General Manager of the Paris Opera until 2032!

Alexander Neef, General Manager of the Paris Opera & Ballet, has been reappointed to his position until 2032, by decision of the President of the Republic and upon the recommendation of the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati.

Alexander Neef assumed his duties in September 2020 for a term of 6 years. “Mr. Neef will therefore continue to lead the nation’s foremost lyrical and choreographic stage until 2032,” specified the Élysée in its statement, with the ambition to “continue and amplify all the transformative actions he has initiated.”

Alexander Neef was born in Germany in 1974. He studied Latin philology and modern history at the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen.

In 2000, he began his career as a production manager at the Salzburg Festival for two seasons before joining the artistic administration of the RuhrTriennale, a multidisciplinary festival in Germany. There, he was responsible for opera, theatre, and dance productions, as well as concerts and events.

Recruited by Gerard Mortier, then Director of the Paris National Opera, he joined the institution from 2004 to 2008 as Director of Casting. Alexander Neef also collaborated with Gerard Mortier on programming for the New York City Opera.

From 2008 to 2020, he served as General Director of the Canadian Opera Company, where he developed co-productions with institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Royal Opera House in London, the Teatro Real in Madrid, and the Aix-en-Provence Festival. In Toronto, he attracted world-renowned singers, conductors, directors, and artists. Alexander Neef also enabled the Canadian Opera Company to perform again at the renowned BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) venue in March 2011 with Igor Stravinsky’s “The Nightingale,” directed by Robert Lepage.

In Canada, he commissioned the world premieres of Barbara Monk Feldman’s “Pyramus and Thisbe” in the fall of 2015 and Rufus Wainwright’s “Hadrian” (libretto by Daniel MacIvor) in October 2018. During his tenure as Director of the COC, Alexander Neef commissioned the creation of two operas: “The Old Fools” by Ana Sokolovic (libretto by Paul Bentley) and “La Reine-Garçon” by Julien Bilodeau (libretto by Michel Marc Bouchard).

He also revitalized the COC Ensemble Studio, a training program for young opera professionals, through the programming of specific stage productions and launched the Ensemble Studio Competition in 2011, inviting the public to attend the final round of auditions for singers to join the Ensemble Studio.

In parallel with his role at the Canadian Opera Company, he was appointed as the first Artistic Director of the Santa Fe Opera in the United States in 2018.

Alexander Neef was appointed as the prefigurative Director of the Paris National Opera in July 2019 by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic. Anticipating this role, he officially assumed his position as General Director of the institution on September 1, 2020. On February 28, 2024, the President of the Republic announced the renewal of his mandate until July 31, 2032.

Alexander Neef was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in September 2018 and named Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in July 2022.