Mission Opéra

Mission Opéra is an ambitious, collective and deeply human artistic experience. It is underpinned by three main pillars:

Instilling essential values — discipline, commitment, perseverance and teamwork — that support personal development, build confidence and help reduce dropout rates.
Making opera accessible by working on ambitious operatic repertoire with audiences who often have little or no access to classical culture.
Harnessing the benefits of singing in service of individual and collective empowerment: breathing and posture, freeing the speaking voice, public speaking, self-confidence, emotional expression and sharing, pride in achievement, and openness to others.

To date, the project has primarily been carried out in vocational high schools, in collaboration with French national education. Following the continued success of its flagship project with the Lycée Amblard in Valence since 2019, Caroline MacPhie founded the charity Mission Opéra France in 2021. MOF also collaborates with organisations independent of National Education that support young people in difficulty. To date, we have now led 20 projects across the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region which have already reached more than 1,000 young people.

Drawing on the experience it has gained and having trained numerous facilitators to carry its projects forward, MOF is now looking to take a new step forward.

We currently aim to build lasting partnerships with committed, local Lyon-based organisations. In addition to partner institutions, we are actively looking for sponsorship to allow our work to reach even more young people. We will then be able to develop on a regional and finally national scale.

Mission Opéra France is very grateful to le Fonds de dotation La Rose des Vents for their generous support.

Between 2019 and 2026: 20 projects with 12 structures

More than 1000 young people reached and inspired in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

A team of high-level experts, specifically trained to carry out our projects

Examples of our work

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Feedback and Written Press

"This project has shown me that anything is possible.".

“During the Mission Opéra project, I learned to express myself better, to have confidence in myself, and to be more comfortable in front of people. During the concert, I felt we were all capable of succeeding; it was fantastic!”

"This experience has given me a completely different perspective on opera and theater. I have learned that opera is like a window on the world. And that it helps us to better understand others."

"This project has taught me to express myself more clearly, to articulate well, and also to work as a team, coordination with one voice. During the concert I felt so many emotions and above all, joy".

"The challenge is significant, the artistic adventure is exciting. Mission Opéra allows high school students to develop their public speaking, self-confidence, discipline, and concentration, all skills that they can then use in their search for internships or jobs," emphasizes the artistic team. "It's a wonderful opportunity for these young people, who are often distanced from "high culture", to discover opera and to meet other high school students who they would otherwise not get to know" adds Hafitita Mellal, a literature and history teacher at the Lycée Amblard in Valence.

Interviewed at the end of a rehearsal, the students responded with broad smiles. For Yasmine, "It's a wonderful adventure and, above all, an opportunity to discover the joy of singing." Nadjama added, "It's been a wonderful discovery where I gained confidence and stepped out of my comfort zone.".

“It seen interesting to me to bring opera here,” explains Marion Mathieu, the teacher who initiated the project. Her colleague Guilhem Belliard, adds: “the aim of this project is to build the students' self-confidence and get them out of the school, opening them up to culture and places they wouldn’t go on their own initiative.”