L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL was founded by the Ministère des Affaires Culturelles du Québec on January 30, 1980. The new company inaugurated its first season in October of that same year with a production of Puccini's Tosca under the artistic direction of Mr. Jean-Paul Jeanotte and with financial assistance from the Canada Council and the Ministère des Affaires Culturelles.

L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL's administration was initially integrated with that of Place des Arts to form a concurrent partnership in the operation of both the opera and the concert hall complex. In 1983, the Board of Directors gained autonomy and elected Mr. Jacques Langevin as General Director. L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL moved most of its operations to a new location and established new departments for fundraising, accounting, public relations and communications. L'Atelier lyrique de L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL was founded in 1984 with a mandate to nurture young operatic talents and to ensure opera's place in Canada's cultural society.

Mr. Langevin left his tenure as General Director in 1986 and the position was temporarily vacant. Mr. Bernard S. Creighton became the Director of Administration & Finance and held this position until 1988. Mr. Bernard Uzan was then appointed General Director of the Company. Mr. Uzan became both General and Artistic Director after Mr. Jeannotte's departure in May of 1989. He assumed the same position at l'Atelier lyrique de L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL.

Upon his arrival, Mr. Uzan was faced with a budget deficit of $1,200,000 which he eliminated in his second year by taking a number of important actions. The management structure was reorganized, the company moved to new offices located at Place des Arts, and a successful programming formula was implemented. Efforts were made to maximize the profitability of new sets and costumes by renting them to other companies. Mr. Uzan also introduced bilingual supertitles, an important innovation which helps opera audiences better understand the content of the operas presented. In 1989, L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL won a "Felix" award for the most popular production of the season, Nelligan, an opera created in Quebec.

Since it was established, L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL has presented 106 productions (with only 27 operas staged more than once) to more than 1,500,000 spectators at Place des Arts. More than 20 million television viewers and listeners have also seen or heard L'OdM productions on Radio-Canada television and radio broadcasts. During the 1997-1998 season, L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL's production of Jenufa was awarded 2 OPUS awards - one for concert of the year in Montreal and one for large ensemble concert of the year in the province.

Among the great names to have graced Montreal's opera stage are Canadians Colette Boky, Tracy Dahl, Maureen Forrester, Lyne Fortin, Judith Forst, Don Garrard, Gaetan Laperrière, Richard Margison, Ermanno Mauro, Allan Monk, Marian Pauvova, Gino Quilico, Louis Quilico, Joseph Rouleau, and André Turp; and international artists Ara Berberian, Rockwell Blake, Norma Burrowes, Alberto Cupido, Mechthild Gessendorf, Veronika Kincses, Sergei Leiferkus, Luis Lima, Johanna Meier, Erie Mills, Timothy Noble, Susan Quittmeyer, Luciana Serra, Diana Soviero, and Olivia Stapp.

Also to be noted are appearances by conductors Christian Badea, Mario Bernardi, Franz-Paul Decker, Anton Guadagno, Edoardo Müller, Alfredo Silipigni, and Michelangelo Veltri who have directed the Choeur de L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL and l'Orchestre symphonique de Montréal or l'Orchestre Metropolitain. Stage directors and set designers Bernard Arnould, Humbert Camerlo, Bliss Hebert, Vaclav Kaslik, Anibal Lapiz, Fabrizio Melano, Roberto Oswald, Josef Svoboda, and Bernard Uzan, as well as Michel Beaulac, Claude Girard and Robert Prévost have directed and created numerous productions, several of which have been rented to opera houses throughout Canada and the United States.

Soon entering its 21st season, L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL operates with an annual budget of nearly eight million dollars. From the three productions it presented in its first year, L'OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL has shown remarkable growth and is now positioned among the most important opera houses in North America.