Sebastien Gueze is a tenor with an international career and has interpreted nearly 50 roles, played in 80 productions, for 400 performances. Graduated from the Conservatoire National de Paris, he is a specialist in the French and Italian romantic repertoire, and has performed in many emblematic lyrical stages: the The?a?tre des Champs-Elysees, the Opera-Comique, the Semperoper de Dresden, La Monnaie from Bruxelles, The Massimo Theater in Palermo, the Metropolitan Opera, etc. This international career made him Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2021.

In addition to his passion for the Opera, this year, Sebastien Gueze has become a key player in the ecological transition of the Opera. Gratuated from a master degree in international business, a university degree in materials science and engineering and from a Corporate Social Responsibility training, he is fully committed to environmental and societal issues that the Opera, like any other institutions , have to face.

He agreed to meet with me for an interview to review his career and talk about his commitments, which he recently summarized in an essay entitled BiOpera: Un futur pour l’Ope?ra?

Happy reading everyone.

How did you discover the Opera ?

Sebastien Gueze : « I discovered the world of opera quite late, around 18 years old. At the time, I was still studying in University, and it was not until the evening that I was going to the conservatory, where I finally found my place. For several years, I conciled my studies and the conservatory (where I practiced singing). When I finished university, my singing teacher encouraged me to fully dedicate myself to music. I tried the competitive exam for the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris, where I was able to do music full time for four years. Then, I did the international Operalia competition from which I came out with two prizes: an audience prize and a second prize. It opened doors to an international career, which has lasted for already fifteen years.».

You are particularly committed to the subject of ecology and recently published the book “BIOpera” in which you make numerous proposals adapted to opera, in order to support it in the ecological transition. Where did this idea and this sensitivity for the subject come from?

SB : « I have never been indifferent to these issues insofar as I grew up in Arde?che being close to nature and because at the beginning of my university studies I followed a scientific course, centered on materials and recycling. However, my teaching subsequently turned more towards communication and marketing. Then, I admit that at the beginning of my career, I first surveyed the world without really considering my contribution to climate change and wondering about the subject, despite my awareness in higher education in eco -responsibility.

Since I am a curious person, I have always sought to know how to bring certain universes and issues to music. Therefore, I am not only committed to the subject of ecology, but also to the access to opera for distant audiences or even gender equality, which I speak about in my essay. So, it is naturally that I began to wonder how to reconciliate sustainability and opera.

There is, in the opera world in particular, a certain duality, in the sense that I sang on stage “Oh nature full of grace” in Werther while traveling the world by plane. At the end, I asked myself how to approach my art through societal and environmental issues. In this regard, the first lockdown was decisive as it highlighted the fact that our work could be in danger overnight. Therefore, after months of reflection BiOpera was released. Its goal is not to judge the practices, but rather to say to oneself “now, what do we do? “. I think that like any citizen, we must ensure that everyone do their part in the ecological transition (as in other social issues). This is why I chose to take part in this reflection on an environment that I am familiar with, because I know what we are capable of as artists. The idea is to get out of the mindset “do as I say but not what I do” by applying the recommendations to ourselves “.

« The cultural sector does not know much about its carbon footprint, and therefore, the levers on which it must act. ” Extract from: Sebastien Gueze. « Biopera. »

Can you tell us more about your essay BiOpera ?

SB : « It is true that the Opera is a very polluting industry, but it is ultimately quite difficult to know on which aspects and to what extent, in order to act effectively. Much work on ecological transition has been published, but the Opera needed specific proposal. Thus, the idea of BIOpera is to have very short paragraphs, which convey an idea, and give concrete actions”.

« The aim of this writing is above all to not reduce the creativity. On the contrary, it is about stating that an exciting new page opens for us, a time when the art of opera will simply and fully listen to the planet» Extract from: Sebastien Gueze. « Biopera. »

You set a lot of quantified objectives in your report: 80% ecological mobility, 100% recycling of decorations, “Club of 5 women” etc. What is the process?

SB : « This essay effectively proposes to quantify the change. In all the discussions I have had on the evolution of operas, the issue was “if there are no goals, nothing happens”. Thus, I think that giving numbers encourages more action, by giving a more precise idea of the objectives to be achieved. This can certainly be questionable in the case of quotas for female guest artists for example, but the problem is that in the meantime, if we do not give a figure to be reached, many houses are stagnant. Putting a number may seem reductive, but we can see that without it, women remain in the minority and it is no longer acceptable.

The idea of numbers is also to meet other non-binding targets. For example, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) brings good ideas, but it can only remain at the awareness stage. For example, Total company has adopted a CSR approach, despite a recent scandal in which, as early as 1971, it knew that its activities were directly responsible for climate change.

For me, the idea is to act in conscience, in the right orders of magnitude. There is for this only one way: to carry out carbon balances to target and organize actions that truly weigh. Eliminating single-use plastic in offices is of course an ecological step, but it is not the action that will allow us to divide by 4 or even 5 our greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade. We are out of time. We must act effectively.

For opera, the data depends on the house, but the most polluting dimensions relate to energy consumption, artists’ movements, public mobility, production of the work (sets, costumes , accessories…). It is therefore on these 4 positions that the effort must be gigantic, the goal being to find ideas to address these issues».

« Having to measure and state is already an invitation to reduce. Making your results visible is an effective way to become aware of your impact and therefore to look for ways to reduce it. “Count to know, know to act, act to reduce »… » Extract from Sebastien Gueze. « Biopera. ».

What would be tomorrow’s programming in your opinion?

SB : « Well, in the production of works, we would use a transitional scenography, a collection program and efficient travel. The goal is not to close in on the world, but to do without harming it.
The programming of tomorrow would therefore look like this: when we call a director to do Carmen for example, we also call him to do another opera, so that there is a more global conception with a reusable scenography and that the artists don’t just come for one opera. We can imagine partnerships with the theater or dance compagnies to play the same theme in the same setting on lyrical off evenings, etc. We must optimize the possibilities. Mechanically, we would drastically reduce our emissions and that would not change the heart of our businesses. In addition, if we optimize the cost of a scenography and travel, we can even help to make more performances.

Through this essay I am convinced that it does not necessarily have to be opulent. For example, in the last Carmen I did, the last scene was pure and beautiful without having huge sets. I think we need big ideas rather than big sets.
However, I do not want to remove the big sets, on the contrary. It is just a matter of not systematizing the use of opulent decors. And, in case we do, we have to ask ourselves the question afterwards: what do we do with this setting? Why not use it in part for another work rather than storing it for years in containers? What is its economic and ecological costs? It’s not about limiting our profession, just rethinking it. Drawing a line of acceptability and collusion with the public who must help us do this ».

Many are those who oppose the model of star system to the stock system constituted by the permanent troops, but you propose in your essay a hybrid solution: the quarterly troop. Can you tell us more?

SB : « It is true that we tended to forget the carbon cost of the star system, which consists in bringing artists from all over the world for a production; this is a question we never really asked ourselves. However, this does come at a cost for the planet. It’s not necessarily about banning this system, because the permanent troop system like in Germany also has its limitations, but it’s about getting around better first. Getting around better means that on the one hand, in countries where it is less possible to travel by train, imagine alternatives such as castings reducing their cumulative flight hours or a temporary ensemble. On the other hand, for the artists who must take the plane, it is not a question of inviting them less but rather of inviting them better and thinking of other ways to involve them in addition to one production so that the carbon cost of their arrival is profitable. This hybrid solution is also a way to preserve diversity for the public and opportunities for artists. ».

« Each quarter, a different artistic team takes over the theater. The team is dedicated to this period under the supervision of a director or a choreographer, a conductor, artists, through a modular decor that hosts those different programs ( operas, ballets, concerts…). The module is shared for at least 3 productions such as an artistic cooperative where previously one to two was played over the same period » Extract from: Se?bastien Gue?ze. « Biopera. »

Some actors of performing arts fear that their jobs are threatened by this ecological transition. What is your take on the matter?

SB : « Resources are increasingly scarce and make us dependent. If we start today to find low-carbon models and alternatives, we will come out of this crisis emancipated. We have no choice, the IPCC figures are clear, we are already affected by climate change and it will get worse if we do nothing. The more dependent we are, the more fragile we get. So I think it is in our interests to anticipate this change and make positive transformations from it while preserving our jobs, rather than endure it head-on in a few years. Today, arbitrating our decisions through the prism of an Organic Opera is to rethink our industry and our ability to produce shows in a more respectful and sober way. It is to be more agile if tomorrow we must face another health crisis or something like that. It means being ready for future challenges by promoting collective security ».

What are the failures / mistakes that have taught you the most?

SB: « I have a great career; I’m not complaining about anything. Since the beginning, I let myself be carried away by artistic proposals without taking the time to question them. Today, because I conducted this research and wrote this BIOpera essay, I want to give more meaning to my artistic and career choices. Maybe this is what we call maturity! »

Can you tell us about one of your best experiences on stage?

SB: « I will remember several but they all have one thing in common: the time that hangs on a note, this moment when the whole room holds its breath, it is a magical sensation that we seek every evening but which cannot be explained. It chooses its moment. It’s a whole, an osmosis. The chemistry of a cast is often the key, which is why I love to serve my partners on stage. If they are in the best shape, I will be better at expressing my emotions ».

What does Opera represent for you?

SB : « Opera, like all the arts, represents for me the best way to question the world in which we live and to question our own trajectory. It is for those reasons that we must be exemplary, forward-thinking, and symbolic. It is also for these same reasons that a public policy financed by taxes must be offered to as many people as possible. Even if it means going out to meet the populations and go out of our walls”.

« Culture is a symbol of openness, it is not a matter of closing borders but of thinking differently about circulation and intercultural exchanges » Extract from: Sebastien Gueze. « Biopera. » Apple Books.

Your upcoming projects and news?

« Like all artists, my news has been a roller coaster since the pandemic, I go where I am wanted and this essay is also a call to directors to “reduce our radius of dependence”. I therefore recommend reading BIOpera’s proposals to initiate this change.

In addition to my return to France with Madama Butterfly in Angers, Nantes and Rennes, I am associated with the work of the Shift Project, the Arviva association and the New Aquitaine Cultural Rights Laboratory.
Finally, I am organizing the creation of a collective of artists and creatives around BIOpe?ra to be the source of innovative projects and programs as they are carbon-free. The goal is to address as quickly as possible to the new generations who go up to the school strike to save their future, and to say to them “Come to the opera, here you can dream of another world while at the same time protecting it”.