After pursuing parallel studies at Sciences-Politique and at the conservatoire in Grenoble with Paul Guigue and Cécile Fournier, François Rougier quickly emerged as a tenor to watch. A prizewinner at the Concours international de chant de Clermont-Ferrand in 2011, he joined the first Académie de l’Opéra Comique in 2013 and was later a member of the Nouvelle troupe Favart from 2018 to 2023.

In 2006, Mirella Giardelli entrusted him with his first roles, Platée and Ferrando, in two productions inspired by Rameau and Mozart with the Atelier des Musiciens du Louvre.

In 2012, he discovered the work of stage director Alexandra Lacroix through Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna and subsequently became an associated artist with her company, and later with Angers Nantes Opéra, of which she has been General and Artistic Director since 2026. This long-standing artistic partnership, marked by his participation in around fifteen opera productions conceived and directed by Alexandra Lacroix, has deeply shaped his relationship to the stage, his multidisciplinary approach, and his vision of the operatic repertoire.

His musical and theatrical qualities have made him a regular guest at numerous opera houses, including the Opéra de Paris, Opéra Comique, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Angers Nantes Opéra, Opéras du Rhin, Bordeaux, Dijon, Rouen, Limoges, Avignon, Lille, Rennes, Aachen, Lausanne, and Liège. Among his recent roles are Don José and Franck in The Carmen Case by Alexandra Lacroix and Diana Soh at the Opéra de Bordeaux and the Opéra de Limoges, L’Aumônier in Dialogues des Carmélites staged by Tiphaine Raffier at the Opéra de Rouen, Grigori in Boris Godounov staged by Jean-Romain Vesperini, Radamès in Aïda déchaînée after Verdi staged by Frédéric Roels at the Opéra Grand Avignon, Marinoni in Fantasio staged by Thomas Jolly at the Opéra Comique, Sidi-Toupi in Belboul by Alexandra Lacroix after Massenet and Farnaz Modarresifar at the Opéra de Reims, Giannino in L’Uomo Femina by Galuppi staged by Agnès Jaoui at the Opéra de Dijon, the Opéra royal de Versailles and the Opéra de Rouen, Faust, Calaf and Paolo in Don Giovanni aux enfers by Simon Steen-Andersen at the Opéra du Rhin, and Le Voisin in L’inondation by Pommerat and Filidei at the Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

In concert, he appeared in 2024 at the invitation of René Jacobs as Don José with the B’Rock Orchestra at the Philharmonie de Paris, the Teatro Real de Madrid, De Singel in Antwerpen, the Philharmonie Köln, the Dortmund Konzerthaus and the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. He is also regularly invited by numerous orchestras, including those of the Capitole de Toulouse, Strasbourg, Montpellier, Avignon-Provence, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Liège, Bayerischer Rundfunk and the Orchestre national de Hongrie, for concert performances of operas and oratorios.

Among his upcoming projects are Trinculo in Frank Martin’s La Tempête at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, Don José in The Carmen Case by Alexandra Lacroix and Diana Soh at Angers Nantes Opéra and the Opéra de Dijon, the creation of the one-to-one performance Conversations murmures, co-created with Alexandra Lacroix, Le Vieux in the world premiere of Les Chaises by Philippe Forget, with a libretto after Ionesco and staged by Alexandra Lacroix at the Opéra de Limoges, and Mister W in Franck Villard’s L’Enfant et la nuit at the Opéra Grand Avignon.

Upcoming recordings include L’Uomo Femina with Le Poème Harmonique, Zampa with the Orchestre de la radio bavaroise, and Jean de Nivelle with the Orchestre national de Hongrie.

François Rougier has been represented by RSBA since 2014.