The heir to the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire founded in 1828, the Orchestre de Paris gave its inaugural concert on 14 November 1967 under the direction of Charles Munch. Herbert von Karajan, Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, Paavo Järvi and most recently Daniel Harding have followed Munch as music director. Since January 2021, Klaus Mäkelä is the tenth music director of the Orchestre de Paris for a six-year tenure.

After many migrations in the course of its half-century of history, the Orchestra became Principal Resident of the Philharmonie de Paris when it opened in January 2015. It found this building designed by the architect Jean Nouvel a venue ideally suited to perpetuating its French tradition and tone colour. In January 2019, the Orchestra embarked on a new stage in its rich history by becoming an integral part of this cultural hub unparalleled anywhere in the world, as a specific department situated at the very core of the artistic project of the Philharmonie de Paris.

The Orchestre de Paris, France’s leading symphony orchestra, gives around a hundred concerts with its 119 musicians each season, at the Philharmonie de Paris or on international tours. The Orchestra’s strategy places its activities in the direct line of descent from the French musical tradition, and therefore plays a key role in serving both the repertories of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and contemporary creation through the hosting of composers in residence, the premieres of numerous works and the presentation of cycles devoted to the tutelary figures of the twentieth century (Messiaen, Dutilleux, Boulez and others.).

Strengthened by its position at the heart of the artistic and educational facilities of the Philharmonie de Paris, the Orchestra more than ever views its work for young people as a top priority. Whether in the various spaces at the Philharmonie or outside its walls – in Paris or its suburbs – it offers a wide range of activities, open to schoolchildren or families as well as to citizens who are further removed from musical life and in situations of vulnerability.

L’Orchestre de Paris est soutenu par le ministère de la Culture et la Ville de Paris, depuis sa création. Eurogroup Consulting, mécène principal, soutient la saison symphonique de l’Orchestre de Paris. Les activités pour jeune public bénéficient du soutien de la Caisse d’épargne d’Île-de-France. L’Orchestre de Paris bénéficie du soutien de nombreux mécènes, notamment du Cercle de l’Orchestre de Paris, de la Fondation du Cercle de l’Orchestre de Paris, de Groupe Fiminco, Natixis, SCOR et la Fondation RATP.

With its partner the Orchestre de Paris, or alongside guest orchestras, the Orchestre de Paris Choir brings us the great vocal repertoire.

The Chœur de l’Orchestre de Paris is made up of amateur singers whose commitment has often been acclaimed, notably by the orchestra conductors who have worked with them: Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Daniel Barenboim, Bertrand de Billy, Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Jean-Claude Casadesus, Riccardo Chailly, James Conlon, Sir Colin Davis, Christoph Eschenbach, Carlo Maria Giulini, Rafael Kubelík, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, Paavo Järvi, Daniel Harding and Thomas Hengelbrock.

In 1976, at the request of Daniel Barenboim, Arthur Oldham – the only private pupil to study under Britten and founder of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the Royal Concertgebouw Chorus in Amsterdam – founded the Chœur de l’Orchestre de Paris. He remained the director until 2002. In 2011, Lionel Sow took over as director, bringing new impetus to the chorus.

The Chœur de l’Orchestre de Paris is now made up of several ensembles:

Main Chorus
Made up of eighty singers, the Main Chorus is well-versed in the symphonic choral repertoire.

Chamber Choir
Created in 2013, this ensemble of forty singers is highly versatile, bringing considerable variety to the choral repertoire of the Orchestre de Paris.

Choir Academy
Created in 2012 in partnership with three City of Paris Conservatories, the Academy is made up of twenty singers between the ages of 18 and 25, from the Conservatories’ best children’s choirs and voice classes.

Children’s Choir
Created in 2014, the Children’s Choir is made up of ninety-five children between the ages of 9 and 14, who train with the associate choir directors outside of school hours. Three City of Paris Conservatories (those of the 6th, 13th and 19th districts) and the Regional Conservatory (CRR) of Aubervilliers-La Courneuve are partners in the project.

Youth Choir
Created in 2015 in partnership with the voice sections of the 6th, 13th and 19th district Conservatories of the City of Paris, the You