In June 2013, Dessay announced that the title role of Massenet's "Manon" at the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse on 15 October 2013 would be her final operatic performance. Previously she had mentioned plans of taking a sabbatical from opera performance in 2015. She had mentioned in the announcement the possibility of returning in 2015, which was not seen in later interviews. She described her retirement as "opera is quitting her", saying she had done all the roles suitable for her light soprano voice and had no intention of playing young girls on stage any longer.