Profile
Emmanuel Plasson is widely regarded as one of the leading ambassadors of French music of his generation. His international career spans opera, symphonic repertoire and ballet, with a particular affinity for the French repertoire of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
He made his North American debut in 1997 touring with the Royal Ballet Covent Garden, including performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which led to an appointment as Assistant Conductor for two seasons (Manon, Carmen).
From 2011 to 2016, he served as Music Director of the Opera Company of Middlebury. He later held the position of Music Director of Hawaii Opera Theatre from 2019 to 2020, conducting productions including Il Trovatore, Roméo et Juliette, Tosca and Le Nozze di Figaro.
He has collaborated with leading opera houses and orchestras worldwide, including New York City Ballet, New York City Opera, Opéra de Montréal, Opera Australia, Royal Ballet Covent Garden, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera North, Hamburg State Opera and New National Theatre Tokyo.
A major milestone in his early career was winning the International Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London.
In recent years, Emmanuel Plasson has expanded his artistic activities through the creation of his own projects and structures. In 2022, he appeared in Germany with his chamber orchestra Orchestre Voyager.
Highlights of the current season include international masterclasses for emerging singers and a series of concerts in Paris with the Covent Garden Sinfonietta.
Artistic mentorship plays a central role in his work. He regularly designs and leads professional training programmes for young opera singers, focusing on the transition from study to stage, combining musical coaching with performance opportunities under real professional conditions.