After singing in his native province, Massard made his professional debut at the Paris Opera in 1952, as the High Priest in Samson et Dalila, shortly followed by Valentin in Faust.
Oreste in Iphigénie en Tauride was his debut role at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Royal Opera House in London, and the Edinburgh Festival.
Massard also appeared in North and South America, notably at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires.
Henceforth considered one of the best French baritone of his generation, he was internationally acclaimed as Valentin in Faust, Escamillo in Carmen, Chorèbe in Les Troyens, Fieramosca in Benvenuto Cellini, and Golaud in Pelléas et Mélisande.
Massard also sang in contemporary works, such as Le Roi David and L'école des maris by Emmanuel Bondeville, and Médée by Darius Milhaud.