Address by Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication, on the occasion of the reception in honour of the American Friends of the Paris Opera and Ballet

It is an honour and a great pleasure for me to welcome you here in the
exhibitions of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, the American
Friends of the Paris Opera and Ballet, whose commitment I commend
and passion at the service of the promotion, in the United States, of
the Paris National Opera.

The history of your foundation is closely linked to the figure of Rudolf
Nureyev, whose memory I salute. Nureyev had indeed wished
develop the tours of the Paris Opera ballet in the United States, and
had requested the creation of a foundation of this kind. You have
answered his call in 1984, bringing together enthusiasts of
dance and opera. Very quickly, touring projects materialized,
with as first experience a tour of the ballet of the Opera of
Paris.

Your very existence and the density of your activities symbolize
the evidence the liveliness and richness of an old friendship between France and
the United States, where cultural exchanges play a fundamental role. The
very dense links that are as you know reciprocal: I could
for example, welcoming and supporting artists in France
like Merce Cunningham or Bob Wilson, thanks in particular to the festival
among many other institutions that have strongly
involved in Franco-American cultural exchanges for a long time.

And I am thinking, of course, of your institution’s major contribution to
promotion and dissemination of French artistic projects in the United States.

I also remember that you played a vital role in the
better knowledge, in France, of very great American artists
like Jerome Robbins, Trisha Brown or Peter Sellars.

A complete list of all the projects that your
foundation made possible, as it is rich. I would nevertheless
of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde productions
stage by Peter Sellars with the scenography of Bill Viola, Alcina de
Handel directed by Robert Carsen and directed by William Christie, the
tours of the Opera Ballet such as the one taking place from June 26 to 22
July 2012 in Chicago, Washington and New York, for 25 performances
major repertoire pieces such as Giselle, Orphée and Eurydice
of Pina Bausch.

I take this opportunity to extend a warm greeting to Mr. O'Neill, Speaker
of the Harris Theater in Chicago, which gives us the pleasure of being with us
today. All these remarkable projects that you, France,
the Paris National Opera and Franco-American cultural relations
you owe it.

I especially want to thank Olivia Flatto, Marina de Brantes,
Edward Reilly and Hal Witt for their tireless work in the
foundation, whose dynamism for more than 25 years is unparalleled. I want to
also greet all the members of the foundation today
and thank them for their commitment.

I would also like to pay tribute to the leaders of the National Opera
of Paris: Bernard Stirn, chairman of its board of directors, whose
I salute the very strong involvement; Nicolas Joël, Brigitte Lefèvre and
Christophe Tardieu, who by their energy and personal passion
live the artistic excellence of this prestigious house as
its radiation.

I wish you an excellent stay in Paris, where I hope that despite the
constraints imposed by the social movements that experience
currently the Opera, you can nevertheless appreciate the welcome that you
is done at the Opera as well as here, rue de Valois, where I have a great pleasure
to share this moment with you. I therefore renew to you all my
for the work you are doing within the Foundation of
American Friends of the Paris Opera and Ballet.