Orchestre de la Francophonie

Created in 2001 on the occasion of that year’s Jeux de la Francophonie, held in Ottawa-Hull, the Orchestre de la Francophonie has quickly become an exceptional springboard for the best young musicians, from home and abroad, who wish to pursue a career with a professional ensemble: truly an orchestral academy. It has been a great success since its founding, and to date has given close to 400 concerts in cities across Canada and on tours abroad, under the spirited and inspired leadership of its conductor, JeanPhilippe Tremblay. During these concerts, some fifty soloists have performed with the Orchestra and nearly forty works by young Quebec and other Canadian composers have been commissioned and premiered. The majority of the more than 1,500 musicians who have played in the orchestra currently hold or have held positions in a major orchestra in North America or elsewhere in the world. To those who participate in the orchestra’s pedagogical orchestral internship, experiencing cultural diversity in a French-speaking environment along the way, the programme is an effective and prestigious stepping stone to a professional orchestral career. The internship includes about 100 hours of musical and extra-musical training with world-famous masters, a varied repertoire, concerts, tours, and recording sessions. The discography of the orchestra currently numbers about ten recordings. Of particular note is the release of the complete symphonies of Beethoven and Brahms, as well as Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and other major works in the repertoire. Internationally recognised for the excellence of its programme, the Orchestre de la Francophonie is an essential rite of passage for the best young musicians of the Frenchspeaking world.