In 2001, he was awarded, by unanimous vote, the First Prize at the 8th edition of the EU Young Conductors international Competition, in Spoleto, Italy.
During his term, he carried on the Opera's policy of rediscovering forgotten 19th century French masterpieces, thus conducting many rare lyric works by Massenet (Le Mage, Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, Sapho, Ariane…), Gounod (Polyeucte, La Reine de Saba), Lalo (Le Roi d’Ys) and Saint-Saëns (Les Barbares),[7] a repertoire in which he has been said to "have no equals".
[8] This passion for the lesser-known parts of the French romantic repertoire did not preclude his offering noted interpretations of such operatic staples as Madama Butterfly[9] or Rigoletto.
His first season (2021), which was commended for its quality and novelty, breathed new life into a house that had suffered greatly from years of mismanagement and from the COVID-19 pandemic.
[10] Continuing his exploration of the French repertoire, he conducted the first stagings of Saint-Saëns' La Princesse Jaune and Bizet's Djamileh after years of neglect.