After obtaining a doctorate in Law from the university in his hometown, Gérard Mortier (Ghent, 1943) began his career as assistant director of the Flanders International Festival. In the 1970s, he traveled to Germany, where he served successively as artistic director of the Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Frankfurt Operas. He took over as director of the Théâtre Royal La Monnaie in the Belgian capital in 1981, a position he held for over a decade. During this time, he was actively involved in the project for the Opéra Bastille in Paris and, since then, has directed the Salzburg Festival and the Paris National Opera. In 2010, he became artistic director of the Teatro Real in Madrid.

Considered one of the most innovative opera directors on the international scene, throughout his career he has received numerous awards such as the Medal of Honor of Belgium or the INSEAD Innovation Award in 2007. Doctor Honoris Causa from the universities of Antwerp and Salzburg, Mortier is also a Commander of the Orders of Arts and Letters of France, a member of the Berlin Academy of Arts, a Knight of the Legion of Honor and a Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold.