Created through the initiative of cellist and conductor Victor Julien-Laferrière, the bold project that would become the Consuelo Orchestra was founded in 2021. It takes as its inspiration the character of Consuelo, the heroine of the eponymous novel by George Sand. Thus, under the dual influence of the most musical of heroines, described by the most musical of novelists, the orchestra’s artistic approach comes to life.
A flexible ensemble ranging from 15 to 50 musicians, the Consuelo Orchestra’s mission is to approach the symphonic repertoire through the lens of chamber music and perform it with both rigor and passion. It appeared in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the renowned Festival La Folle Journée in Nantes, including two live concerts broadcast by the French channel ARTE. The orchestra has also performed at the Variations Classiques d’Annecy festival, the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad, the Festival de La Roque d’Anthéron, the Halle aux Grains in Toulouse, and the La Chaise-Dieu festival. It closed the year 2023 with two concerts at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris.
The orchestra began 2024 with a concert featuring Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova at the Auditorium de Vincennes, followed by Prima La Musica! in a Tchaikovsky program, which it later performed again at the Festival La Folle Journée in Nantes with pianist Alexander Malofeev. The orchestra’s musical season continues at the Coursive Scène Nationale in La Rochelle, followed by its debut in Portugal at the Festival de Música dos Capuchos, as well as concerts at the Rocamadour Festival and the Vichy Opera. It will return to the La Chaise-Dieu Festival to continue its Beethoven Symphony cycle and will make its debut in September at the 77th Besançon Franche-Comté Festival.
In addition to its stage activity, the Consuelo Orchestra is committed to developing recording projects. After a first album dedicated to Johannes Brahms in 2023, released by the French label Mirare, it is currently recording its next album project devoted to the complete symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven.
The Consuelo Orchestra carries out its activities with the support of Caisse des Dépôts as its principal patron. It also receives support from its Circle of Friends, the Centre National de la Musique, Fonpeps, Adami, and Spedidam.
