VTi (Vlaams Theater Instituut)
De Munt/La Monnaie
De Munt is a federal cultural institution. In 1963 De Munt was officially named National Opera. A major turning point in the history of the Royal Monnaie was the appointment in 1981 of Gerard Mortier as general director. During his directorate, not only the building was thoroughly modernized; he also artistically reorganized the Monnaie's choir and symphonic orchestra and employed new and young staff. All this, and Mortier's choice of a more personal and peculiar repertoire, turned the Monnaie into an opera of international stature and renown.
After Mortier left for the Salzburger Festspiele in 1992, Bernard Foccroulle took over. The same year, he appointed Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker's Rosas company as the Monnaie's company in residence. Together, they founded a new international school for contemporary dance, P.A.R.T.S., as successor to Maurice Béjart's Mudra School.
In June 2007, after fifteen years as its artistic leader, Bernard Foccroulle bade the Monnaie farewell. He was succeeded by Peter De Caluwe, the Dutch Opera's former artistic director. De Caluwe opened the doors to a new generation of artists. Today, the Monnaie is populated not only by today's international household names, but also by young talent: conductors, directors and visual artists for baroque, lyrical as well as symphonic genres. The traditional repertoire remains the spine of De Caluwe's programme, but he always makes room for baroque opera, work by 20th Century and contemporary composers.
Furthermore, De Caluwe breaks down the conventional approach for concerts and recitals by introducing visual or scenic elements. Dance still takes an important place in the programme. The special relation with Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker is maintained, but De Caluwe also invites new choreographers, such as Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Sasha Waltz as well as international dance companies. Each year, he invites stage productions by directors such as Ivo Van Hove, Romeo Castellucci and Krzysztof Warlikowski to be shown at the Monnaie.
