Claire Gibault began her career at the Opéra National de Lyon before becoming the first woman to conduct both the Orchestra of La Scala and the musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic. She served as Music Director of the Atelier Lyrique and the Maîtrise at the Opéra de Lyon, and later of Musica per Roma from 2000 to 2002. She was also assistant to Claudio Abbado at La Scala, the Vienna State Opera, and the Royal Opera House in London, before joining him in 2004 to help establish the Orchestra Mozart di Bologna.

Regularly invited by prestigious national and international institutions, Claire Gibault has, in recent seasons, conducted the world premiere of Colomba, an opera by Jean-Claude Petit, at the Opéra de Marseille, as well as the world premieres of Veronica Franco and Sull’acqua by Fabio Vacchi. She has also led Mahler’s Symphony No. 10 with the Orchestra Verdi di Milano, premieres by Edith Canat de Chizy and Philippe Hersant at the Philharmonie de Paris, and a Berlioz program with the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM in Mexico.

In 2011, Claire Gibault founded the Paris Mozart Orchestra, with which she performs around 30 concerts per year, both in prestigious venues and in places far removed from classical music. Deeply dedicated to contemporary creation, she regularly collaborates with composers such as Graciane Finzi, Wolfgang Rihm, Silvia Colasanti, Fabio Vacchi, Edith Canat de Chizy, Philippe Hersant, Alexandra Grimal, or Orlando Bass.

Recently, in addition to her work with the Paris Mozart Orchestra, she has been invited to conduct the Orchestre Symphonique de Tours, the Sinfonietta de Lausanne, and the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo.

Passionate about transmission and education, Claire Gibault is frequently invited to give conducting masterclasses. She has also collaborated with the Royal Opera House and the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in London, and she runs her own masterclass series in Paris. A committed advocate for equality and diversity, she is also the co-founder of La Maestra, the International Competition and Academy for Women Conductors, whose 4th edition will be held in February 2026 at the Philharmonie de Paris.

In 2010, Claire Gibault published La Musique à mains nues with Éditions L’Iconoclaste. In 2023, she was recognized as one of Forbes France’s 40 Women of the Year and received the First Prize at the Chaumet Echo Culture Awards, honoring impactful projects led by women.

She is also an Officer of the Légion d’Honneur and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters.