Storm Damage Forces Montpellier’s Corum to Close

Montpellier has ordered the Corum to close after severe storms caused extensive water infiltration, leaving the building unsafe and prompting an unfavourable assessment by the safety commission.

The complex contains three auditoriums. The 2,000-seat Opéra Berlioz has suffered particularly serious damage and could remain closed longer than the Pasteur and Einstein halls, which seat 745 and 318 respectively.

Metropolitan authorities were expected to begin the studies needed for emergency repairs, with the aim of reopening part of the building within the following weeks. No firm reopening date had been announced.

Performances of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana scheduled for the weekend before the closure announcement were cancelled. Most forthcoming events were expected to be relocated to other venues in Montpellier.

The Opéra Orchestre national de Montpellier’s season-opening concert, scheduled for October 9, was moved to the Zénith rather than cancelled. The company normally performs at both the Corum and the Opéra Comédie.