In Paris, A ‘David Vs. Goliath’ Struggle Over Opera Singers

The incoming director of the Paris Opéra, Nicolas Joël, is adding a clause to singers’ contracts forbidding appearances at other houses in the city. The head of the Opéra-Comique is crying foul, claiming that state-funded theaters shouldn’t undermine each other in such a way. “In the case that concerns us, an artist who sings three phrases at the Paris Opéra can’t sing elsewhere (in the capital). As if that could affect attendance at the Opéra.”