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Paul-Émile Fourny was born in Liège in 1961. After obtaining First prize of the 'Arts of the Word Theatre and Declamation' awarded in 1981 by the Royal Conservatory of Wallonia (Liège,Belgium) he worked successively as a professor, a comedian, a director and was director of animation at the Cultural Centre of Oupeye in Belgium. In 1985, he joined Gérard Mortier's team at the Theâtre de La Monnaie of Brussels and worked with such film directors such as Gilbert Deflo, Pier-Luigi Pizzi, Yannis Kokkos…

Pursuing his career in France starting from 1989, he worked for: the Opera d’ Avignon, les Chorégies d’Orange, and was appointed artistic and general director of the Opera de Nice in October 2001. A true man of the theater, he is well-versed in both the artistic and the administrative sides of production.

Among the operas that he has directed are: La vida breve by Manuel de Falla in Nice (May 1997 ; May 2004), Oedipus Rex by Stravinsky in Nice (May 1999), Rigoletto by Verdi in Nice (November 1999), at the Chorégies d’Orange (July 2001), in Thessalonica (September 2002) and at the Royal Opera of Wallonia of Liège (October 2003), Die Entführung aus dem Serail by Mozart in Nice (April 2000) and at the New Israeli Opera de Tel Aviv (May, 2002), Ariane and Barbe Bleue by Dukas at the Statni Opera of Prague (May 2001), (October 2005) at the New York City Opera and in Nice (May 2006), Don Giovanni by Mozart in Nice (January 2002), Andrea Chénier by Giordano at the Festival of Music of Santander in Spain (August 2002), Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti at the Festival of Antibes (July 2002), in Nice i(October) and in Lacoste (July 2006).

He staged Bellini's Norma in Nice in October of 2006, Gounod's Faust for the Teatro Cervantes de Malaga in December, 2006, Verdi's Rigoletto for the Foundation Pergolese Spontini de Jesi in December, 2006. He also staged The Land of Smiles by Lehar in Nice December, 2006, Rigoletto at the Opera of Massy in January, 2007, Sans Famille by Jean-Claude Petit a world premiere in Nice in February, 2007, Mireille by Gounod in Toulon and Romeo and Juliette by Gounod in Hong-Kong in May, 2007, Norma for the Opera of Montpelier in June, 2007, The Land of Smiles at the Opera d’ Avignon, Andréa Chénier in Modena and Rovigo in October, 2007, Massenet's Werther at the Fondazione Pergolese Spontini in October, 2007, and finally Rigoletto at the Opera de Nice in November of the same year.

Paul-Emile Fourny was awarded in 2007 the Medaille de Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur.

In 2008, he staged Tosca by Puccini in Nice in January and to Modena in March, A Midsummer Summer Nights Dream by Britten for Nice in April, La Vida Breve by De Falla at the Opera of Saint-Etienne and Il Trittico by Puccini, a co-production between the Opera de Nice and the international Music Festival of Macau in October for the Puccini Worldwide Year.

In 2009, he staged Les Contes d’Hoffmann at the Opera de Nice as well as at the National Opera of Singapore and then Aïda at the Palace Nikaïa in Nice. He recently staged Pucinni's Manon Lescaut at Torre Del Lago's festival and a Faust at New Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv as well as another Aïda at the Opera d’ Avignon.

In 2011, he staged Don Giovanni at the Savonlina Festival, Rigoletto at the Chorégies d’ Orange ... Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher and a new Boheme production.

In April, 2011, Paul-Emile Fourny became the director of the Opera de Metz Métropole.

In 2012 he staged Carmen in Seoul and a new production of My Fair Lady by Loewe in Metz. In 2013 and 2014 he is in Maribor for Don Giovanni and Il Trittico, for Aida in Toulon and La traviata in Metz. Always in 2013 he signed a new production of Lakmé for Bonn and Metz and Un ballo in maschera in Bern, Faust in Hong-Kong.

In 2016 he staged A midsummer night’s dream in Metz, Manon Lescaut by Auber in Liege, Samson et Dalila in Maribor, and Cavalleria and Pagliacci in Metz. In 2017 Les contes d’Hoffmann, Werther and La bohème in Metz.

During the season 2018/2019 Tosca and Carmen (co-production with Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini) in Metz, Rigoletto in Reims.

In 2019/20 Cavalleria and Pagliacci in Saint-Étienne, Carmen in Massy and Avignon, Giovanna d'Arco in Metz.

In 2020/21 Carmen and Aucassin et Nicolette in Reims, Fidelio in Metz, Samson et Dalila at ABAO-OLBE in Bilbao.

In 2021/22 Frankenstein Junior, Aucassin et Nicolette and Mireille in Metz.