Founded in 2006 by Anglo-French conductor Mark Opstad, the Maîtrise de Toulouse is today recognised as one of Europe's leading choir schools, providing a specialised musical education within the Toulouse Conservatoire that gives life to an acclaimed vocal ensemble. In 2017, the Maîtrise de Toulouse was awarded the prestigious Prix Bettencourt for Choral Music, presented by the Académie des Beaux-Arts at the Institut de France.

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The Maîtrise performs around ten concerts each year, principally in Toulouse, at the Auditorium Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines, the Halle aux Grains, the Basilique Saint-Sernin and the Temple du Salin. The choir also appears regularly at festivals throughout the Occitanie region and further afield, including in venues such as the Chapelle Royale at Versailles and the Opéra-Comique in Paris.  The choir has also toured in Spain, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

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The Maîtrise has gained an international reputation through its recordings. Its nine albums span a repertoire from the Renaissance to contemporary music, encompassing both sacred and secular works sung in more than twenty languages. These recordings have received unanimous critical acclaim from the international music press, including the Clef ResMusica, 5 Diapasons (twice), a "Coup de cœur" from France Musique, "Essential Release" in The Sunday Times, 5 stars from Choir & Organ magazine, 4 stars from BBC Music Magazine, and the Critic's Choice of the Year award from the American Record Guide, which remarked: "…  “There’s probably nothing this choir couldn’t sing, and spectacularly well." The Maîtrise's recording with Ensemble Gilles Binchois received both a Diapason Découverte award and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (Early Music category). The choir's international profile is further enhanced by the many films available on its YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@maitrisedetoulouse.

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The Maîtrise's repertoire is exceptionally rich and varied, encompassing sacred and secular music from all periods by more than 250 composers, including regular commissions and premières of works by composers including Paweł Łukaszewski, Emmanuelle Da Costa, Patrick Burgan, and Édith Canat de Chizy. Particular emphasis is placed on the French choral tradition, including the revival of neglected works, the creation of new arrangements of traditional songs, and the commissioning of new works.

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The choir collaborates regularly with leading ensembles and institutions, including the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (works by Britten, Escaich… as well as Pergolesi under the direction of Ton Koopman), the Baroque orchestra Les Passions (Bach's St John Passion), Ensemble Gilles Binchois (French Baroque music), Les Sacqueboutiers (English and Spanish Renaissance music), and the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles (French Baroque repertoire, including a reconstruction project of works from the Tours and Deslauriers manuscripts written for the Pre-Revolution choir schools). The Maîtrise has also contributed to film soundtrack recordings, and several of its choristers have performed solo roles in productions at the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse.

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Many former members have gone on to professional musical careers, including soprano Juliette Mey, winner of the Révélation Lyrique award at the Victoires de la Musique Classique and finalist in the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

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The Maîtrise is made up of choristers (collégiens) who are educated in specialist classes at the Collège Michelet, of older girl choristers (lycéennes) who mainly attend the Lycée Saint Sernin, and of men’s voices : students including ex-choristers, with additional professional support.