Cortese follows Vigié in Lausanne
The Lausanne Opera will be managed by Claude Cortese from July 2024. The French musician and cultural manager succeeds Eric Vigié in the position.
Cortese was already working as a stage manager at the Lausanne Opera at the age of 19. He later worked as a director at the Grand Théâtre de Genève for eight years. From 2003, he held various artistic management positions at the Angers Nantes Opéra and the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy. He is currently artistic director of the Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg.
The history of the Lausanne Opera dates back to the 1870s. In 1931, it was completely restructured and converted from a casino theater into a municipal theater. Between 1975 and 1976, the stage was modernized and the number of seats reduced to 960. In 2007, the theater had to be closed for fire safety reasons. It has been managed by Eric Vigié since 2005. He oversaw the renovation of the technical and administrative areas of the building, during which performances took place in the Salle Métropole and the Beaulieu Theater until the reopening in 2012.
