French-Lebanese theatrical director Pierre Audin passed away at the age of 67. He was the director of the Opéra Ex-en-Provence festival in southern France and formerly the artistic director of the State National Opera of the Netherlands. This was announced by the festival organizers and the French Ministry of Culture two days ago.
The statement from the Ex-en-Provence festival reads: "With deep sadness, we learned of the sudden passing of Pierre Audin in Beijing. The world of artistic creativity has lost a great artist and leader of a cultural institution." Minister of Culture of France Roshid Dati noted in a message on the 'X' platform that "Pierre Audin dedicated his life to artistic creativity" and "greatly enriched the language of opera".
In 2019, Audin, born in the capital of Lebanon, Beirut, became the general director of the Opéra Ex-en-Provence festival, one of the largest international events in the world of opera. At the end of 2021, he was extended in full to a new term until 2027.