Les Ombres

Posted in Ensembles

Photo: Conrad Allain

Have been in residency since 2014

Les Ombres, co-directed by the violist Margaux Blanchard and flautist Sylvain Sartre, are distinctive actors on the current Baroque scene.

The variety of their encounters has led them from a trio ensemble to a chamber orchestra, for staged productions with soloists, singers, actors and dancers based on little-known operatic works. The unique atmosphere of their performances, with acting emphasized by soft variations in lighting, enables them to project the music’s poetry.

Their work nevertheless remains true to so-called historically informed performance practice and follows in the musical footsteps of the pioneers of the Baroque revival. Trained at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, Les Ombres, alongside their career as performers, continue to research the influence of French music throughout Europe, contributing to the rediscovery of neglected masterpieces of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

In the past ten years, the talented intergenerational team of devoted musicians has included Eléonore Pancrazi, Judith van Wanroij, Chantal Santon, Emmanuelle de Negri, Joao Fernandes, Mathias Vidal and Alain Buet, for productions given on the stages of prestigious opera houses and international festivals (including La Folle Journée, Opéra National de Montpellier, Evian’s La Grange au Lac, Festival d’Ambronay, Freunde Alter Musik Basel, York, Utrecht, Bergamo, and Tokyo).

Their recordings have been acclaimed by critics: ffff Télérama, Choc Classica, Qobuzissime, “Coup de cœur” of France Musique’s Jardin des Critiques programme, and Supersonic Pizzicatto.

Les Ombres have recorded Couperin, Marais, Blamont, Telemann and Handel for the Ambronay Editions and Mirare labels.

The Caisse des dépôts is Les Ombres’ main sponsor.

The group is supported by the DRAC and the Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region.

Les Ombres are artists in residence at the Nuits musicales d’Uzès, the CCR d’Ambronay and the Fondation Singer-Polignac. They are members of the Fédération des ensembles vocaux et instrumentaux spécialisés (FEVIS) and the PROFEDIM union.

Discography

Vidéo

Concerts at the Fondation Singer-Polignac

Concert de saison : Nature, amour - Primavera | May 18, 2017

Concert de saison : The Tempest | February 12, 2015

Concert d'atelier : Concert de résidents - Les Ombres | March 27, 2014

Tour dates