"A building that has become dilapidated": the Nice Opera House is in dire need of renovation

A dilapidated building. The Nice Opera House is in poor condition, it's common knowledge, but work is due to be carried out, as discussed at a municipal council meeting on July 15, 2024. However, nothing concrete has been done, and this annoys the artists who raised the alarm a long time ago. "We 've been reporting this for years; the union had written a report on the state of the building," grumbles Violaine Darmon, CGT Opera representative and solo violinist of the orchestra. "The regional audit office confirmed what we were reporting [in a report dated November 5, 2024]: a major renovation is needed. All of this is the result of the fact that no resources have been invested in maintaining it over time."

This time, the major renovation is coming. "Three scenarios have been established and the City should decide on one of them," believes Juliette Chesnel-Le Roux, leader of the environmental group. "This would foresee 30 months of work for a budget of 36 million euros. They would not begin until the construction of the Palais des Arts et de la Culture is completed." Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice, mentioned that work would begin at the end of the 2026-2027 season during the presentation of the opera's next season on May 15.

Which hall for large symphony concerts?

"It's positive for preserving the building, however, we are wondering how we will be able to continue working during the closure if it turns out to be very long," Violaine Darmon points out . "Especially since we really need to anticipate it. We cannot offer the same programming outside the walls. Nice, France's 5th largest city, lacks an auditorium: we don't have a hall suitable for large symphony concerts or to host lyrical or ballet productions. The Salle de la Cuisine is not at all feasible - I'm not even sure the Opera audience would go there. We regret not having been involved in the reflection on the work."

The CGT representative also mentioned obstacles to obtaining the "National Opera in the Region" label (1): " ^Staff numbers are down in all administrative, technical and artistic bodies and salaries are still lagging behind. We are working on the mandatory negotiations: we will have to bring the pay slips up to standard." As for the artistic project: "We would like something of higher quality."

(1) Obtaining the "National Opera in the Region" label requires meeting seven criteria, recalled by the regional audit office: "The structure must develop an artistic and cultural project of general interest, of creation, production or diffusion of national or international scope. Guarantee freedom of artistic programming thanks to the autonomous management by the management of an identified budget. Promote the widest access to the public. Implement cultural actions and mediation for young people. Have a single management, human resources, premises and equipment. Benefit from the financial support of at least one local authority (excluding the provision of premises or human resources). Commit to ensuring that the director of the structure is provided according to the selection procedure provided for by the decree [of May 5, 2017]." This last text adds two conditions: "Maintain the permanent artistic forces; possess a legal status allowing for autonomy of management and financial monitoring, consequently at least that of the management personalized."

The CRC points to "a building that has become dilapidated"

The Regional Audit Office (CRC) also highlighted the need to renovate the building. In a report dated July 18, 2024 , it noted that "the building shows chronic underinvestment: degraded, requiring major work, it has not received the necessary investments except those allowing the maintenance of the safety conditions essential to its operation." It notes that "equipment expenditure amounted to an average of 334,000 euros per year between 2015 and 2022 (...). The largest investments were made in 2016 and 2018 (455,000 euros per year on average, including the renovation of the grill [all the metal structures attached to the ceilings of the stages], at a cost of 1.1 million euros spread over 2015 and 2018."

"A stone from the facing fell onto Saint-François-de-Paule Street"

The CRC explains: "The Italian-style hall no longer meets the public's expectations, particularly with regard to air conditioning and improved seating and visibility (many seats (...) do not allow a proper view of the stage), as repeated in the reports of the general inspection of the municipal services of 2009 and 2018. The building requires major renovation work: on April 10, 2022, a stone from the facing of the building came loose, falling onto rue Saint-François-de-Paule; circulation spaces are deteriorating (paint badly peeling) and the comfort of the artists remains reduced (toilets not renovated, cramped dressing rooms, for example)."

The CRC refers to the process of obtaining the "National Opera in the Region" label and points out that it "requires that the opera house be able to fulfill specific missions of artistic development, cultural democratization, education and cultural mediation. These missions therefore imply being able to welcome a wider audience in good conditions. Carrying out work is becoming a necessity. The equipment expenditure of recent years, low compared to the needs identified by the general inspection of the municipal services and the state of the premises, is even lower compared to the assigned objectives." (...)

"The renovation, estimated at between 17 and 27 million euros, will be financed by the main budget, which is itself already constrained," the CRC indicates. "This dilapidated state now poses risks to the opera's long-term future, at a time when the municipality has the ambition to obtain a prestigious label by relying on a new dynamic of artistic activity."