For employees of the Toulon Opera, it is a shock. Thursday afternoon, Jérôme Brunetière, director of the institution since 2022, announced on the board of directors that the twenty-one members of the choir were going to be dismissed “For economic reasons”. A few hours later at the Palais Neptune, before a concert, the orchestra spoke in front of several hundred spectators to confirm the news … and their misunderstanding.
“We have clearly felt a special emotion between sixty musicians and the two lyric singers on stage”says Marie, who came to appreciate the “big pages” of the German repertoire. “It's unthinkable. We are all stunned”confirms Virginie, an opera employee, who posted yesterday on her Facebook page, like many of her colleagues, “I am the Choir of the Toulon Opera “.
“The only way to save the opera”?
Contacted, neither the chairman of the board of directors (the assistant to the culture Yann Tainguy), nor the management of the establishment wanted to communicate the precise reasons for this decision. In offmembers sitting on the board of directors highlight a particularly difficult budgetary context and the need to reduce the wing. “It's the only way to save the opera”, explains an administrator. “With 13 million euros budget and 90% of wage charges, we have no choice …”
Another confirms: “We pass for the bad guys but the reality is that there is a hole in the budget.there are fewer tickets and there are no more dates outside Toulon. ” And to specify: “You should also know that when a person spends one euro for a show, there are twenty euros in TPM grants and the department. Except that these aids have decreased. It is unhappy but we can no longer continue like that.”
-“Steep” and “violent” decision
Richard Garnier is both staff representative and member of the choir. He deplores a decision “steep” But that he had felt coming. “A few years ago, it was the ballet of the Opera that had been deleted. In recent weeks, recruitment had been canceled. We were told that the economic situation was not good. We suspected that we were was on the hot seat.
Behind the scenes of the building inaugurated in 1862, some have mentioned financial management for several months “Doubtful” or the “Indecent wages” of some executives. Shows that would not be suitable too, such as this Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci, produced this summer, “disproportionate and too expensive for a small opera like ours”.
For the moment, the members of the choir ignore if they will end the season, where their musical accompaniment is expected on most of the shows. All hear “fight” and already evoke “Actions”. From January 30 at the Palais Neptune?
