Grand Theatre de Provence (Aix-en-Provence, France)
Grand Theatre de Provence
The Grand Théâtre de Provence (GTP) is a performance hall located in Aix-en-Provence in the new "Sextius Mirabeau" district. A symbol of the Aix region was used for the design of the volumes of this room: the Sainte-Victoire mountain, recalled in particular by the stones of different colors on the outside.
Inaugurated on June 29, 2007 with the opera La Valkyrie by Richard Wagner, it was designed by the Italian architects Vittorio Gregotti and Paolo Colao to host operas and concerts of the Festival international d'art lyrique d'Aix-en-Provence and funded by the Pays d'Aix community.
It has 1,370 seats, including 950 on the floor.
Directed since its opening by Dominique Bluzet, as part of a public service delegation, it hosts dance performances and symphonic or chamber music concerts. Since 2013, it has served as a setting for the Aix-en-Provence Easter Festival, created by violinist Renaud Capuçon and Dominique Bluzet with the support of the CIC.
This theater is mounted on a spring, in order to effectively eliminate parasitic vibrations from the nearby railway track.
The Grand Théâtre de Provence has been the residence of the French Youth Orchestra since December 2007, of the Café Zimmermann ensemble since 2011, and of the Philharmonic Chamber since 2015/2016.