Despite what a young Hollywood actor may have claimed, opera is not dead.

It has existed for centuries and will continue to exist long after that actor has faded into obscurity.

And for a simple reason: opera is life !

Through the rich palette of its music and librettos, opera always tells the same story—

the story of women and men, immersed in the turmoil of their existence, who express, through the magic of song and music, the full depth of the great emotions of the human soul, in which each and every one of us can recognize ourselves:

love, hatred, pain, joy, jealousy, friendship, violence, hope, rebellion…

Yes, opera is life ! The life within us that moves us, shakes us, and brings us together.

The 200 candidates of the International Singing Competition, who come here to give their very best, dream of nothing more than entering into communion with all of us through song and the lyrical arts.

In a world where destructive impulses are multiplying, let us hold fast to life, in all its forms and expressions.

This is our invitation and our wish for the 38th Nuits Lyriques de Marmande.