Ailyn Pérez makes both her house debut at the historic Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and her worldwide role debut as the tragic heroine of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.
Widely acclaimed for her interpretations of the Italian verismo and Puccini heroines, Pérez has drawn consistent praise for pairing a luscious, golden timbre with dramatic vulnerability and immaculate vocal control. Reviewing her Puccini repertoire, the Texas Classical Review lauded her phrasing in Madama Butterfly’s “Un bel dì, vedremo” as “deeply atmospheric,” capturing a character suspended between hope and illusion.
Pérez stars opposite tenor Roberto Alagna as her impassioned lover, the Chevalier des Grieux. Conductor Lorenzo Passerini leads the Orchestre National de France and the Chœur accentus in a new staging directed by Oliver Mears. A co-production between the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, The Royal Opera, Covent Garden, and the Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur, Mears’s staging reimagines the opera’s intense emotional and economic tensions across shifting historical eras.
The principal ensemble features baritone Lionel Lhote as Lescaut and bass Nicola Ulivieri as Geronte di Ravoir. Tenor Léo Vermot-Desroches appears as Edmondo, the Dance Master, and the Lamplighter, joined by mezzo-soprano Mathilde Ortscheidt as the Musician and bass-baritone Maurel Endong as the Innkeeper and Sergeant.
Performances run November 2-15, 2026 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.