Created on 10 March 2021, the Friends of the Royal Opera of Versailles – Académie des beaux-arts Foundation aims to support, as a priority, projects given at the Opéra Royal de Versailles (including the Opéra Royal, the Chapelle Royale and the areas of the Château de Versailles and its estate) but also throughout France. The Foundation may also support pedagogical and/or educational projects in connection with projects given at the Opéra Royal de Versailles, award grants and prizes to artists (lyric soloists or instrumentalists, vocal ensembles, orchestras, etc.) and more generally all events and operations linked to the artistic, cultural and heritage activities of the Opéra Royal de Versailles.
At the time of its creation, the Foundation was endowed with 850,000 euros, thanks to the generosity of Madame Aline Foriel-Destezet and a founding committee made up of a dozen initial donors (Patricia Seigle, Armelle Gauffenic, Alain Pouyat, Jean-Claude Broguet, Hugo Brugière, Charles Vignes, Stephan Chenderoff, Serge Erceau, Olivier Raoux, Christian Peronne and Roni Michaly (Société financière Galilée).
The Governing board
The Friends of the Royal Opera of Versailles – Académie des beaux-arts Foundation is administered by a 6-member governing board.
The Académie des beaux-arts’ board
Laurent Petitgirard, secrétaire perpétuel of the Académie des beaux-arts, President of the Foundation
Muriel Mayette-Holtz, member of the Académie des beaux-arts
Hugues R. Gall, member of the Académie des beaux-arts
The Founder's board
Wilfried Meynet, President of the Association of the Friends of the Royal Opera of Versailles
Aline Foriel-Destezet, Vice-president
Alain Pouyat, Founders' Committee delegate
