Maraya transformed into Palais Garnier as AlUla hosts Opera National de Paris

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - Dubai: AlUla hosted the Opera National de Paris for an exceptional evening, in which audience members were treated to a blend of heritage and modernity featuring opera and ballet.

The event brought together opera singers trained at the Academie de l’Opera National de Paris, including Marianne Croux (soprano), Farrah El-Dibany (mezzo-soprano), Yu Shao (tenor), Vladimir Kapshuk (baritone) and pianist Benjamin Laurent, joined by the first Saudi soprano Sawsan Albahiti and etoile dancer Alice Renavand.

AlUla’s Maraya performance hall took on the guise of the Palais Garnier for the evening, and in the desert canyon of the Ashar Valley, the audience enjoyed arias from operas such as Jules Massenet’s “Manon” or Camille Saint-Saens’s “Samson et Dalila,” the duet from Georges Bizet’s “Les Pecheurs de Perles,” and arias from Bizet’s “Carmen.”

The evening concluded with the famous barcarolle from Jacques Offenbach’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann,” performed in chorus by all the artists.

“A Night with the Opera national de Paris” reflected the role of Villa Hegra as a key player in the cultural and artistic scene in AlUla, in line with the intergovernmental agreement signed between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and France on Dec. 4, 2021.

Villa Hegra is a Saudi-French institution dedicated to arts and culture, conceived as a space for creative dialogue between the two countries, as well as local and international artists.

“The event reaffirmed our desire to represent the ambition of the partnership between France and Saudi Arabia,” declared Feriel Fodil, the CEO of Villa Hegra, in an interview with Arab News en Francais.

The Villa’s public outreach initiatives set the stage for its cultural center.

“The ongoing projects show our commitment to achieve our mission: cultivating creative dialogue. The partnership with the Opera National de Paris includes an introductory program in music, song, and dance, led by artists from the Opera National de Paris, in cooperation with AlUla's Music Hub,” said Fodil.

Designed by French architect firm Lacaton & Vassal, Villa Hegra is expected to officially open in 2026. A series of pre-opening programs, for both its residencies and its cultural center, are scheduled to build momentum on the local and international arts and culture scene.

For the residencies, art retreats with Saudi and French artists will be developed, along with a rich program of conferences, podcasts, and workshops, in partnerships with French institutions.

The curators in charge of the first pre-opening cycle are a Saudi-French duo: Wejdan Reda and Arnaud Morand.

Upon its opening in 2026, “Villa Hegra will host up to 10 art and research programs with a duration of two to 10 months. The multidisciplinary center will include an exhibition space, music and dance studios, a language school, a research center, a media library, workshop spaces, and two auditoriums of 80 and 180 seats,” added Fodil.

Art retreats are another example. “The first one saw the participation of Saudi choreographer Sarah Brahim and French sculptor Ugo Schiavi. Their joint visit to AlUla in July 2023 marked the beginning of a creative journey, a quest to merge heritage and future into an art piece set to be unveiled in April 2024,” Fodil added.

“Villa Hegra stands as a unique institution, bringing together local communities and international audiences, the convergence of cultures being at the core of its values.”