Chœur de Chambre de Namur

Since its foundation in 1987, the Namur Chamber Choir has focused on the musical heritage of its home region (Lassus, Arcadelt, Rogier, Du Mont, Gossec, Grétry, etc.), whilst also performing major works from the choral repertoire.

A regular guest at Europe’s most prestigious festivals, he works under the baton of conductors such as Christophe Rousset, René Jacobs, Julien Chauvin, Reinoud Van Mechelen, Fabio Luisi, and others.

It has produced numerous recordings, which have been highly acclaimed by critics (nominations for the Victoires de la Musique Classique, Classica’s ‘Choc’, the Diapason d’Or, Crescendo’s ‘Joker’, Télérama’s ‘4F’, Gramophone’s ‘Editor’s Choice’, the ICMA, the Belgian press’s Prix Caecilia, etc.). The Namur Chamber Choir was also awarded the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros in 2003 and the Prix de l’Académie Française in 2006.

In 2010, the artistic direction of the Namur Chamber Choir was entrusted to the Argentine conductor Leonardo García Alarcón. In 2016, the choir took part in its first stage production at the Paris Opera (Cavalli’s Eliogabalo).

The 2017–2018 season marked the choir’s 30th anniversary. Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, performed in 2017, marked the first stage of this anniversary celebration, taking the choir on tour across Europe and South America.

In 2019, the Namur Chamber Choir added Handel’s Saül to its repertoire, performing it in Namur and Beaune, and Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes at the Paris Opera.

From 2020 to 2025, the Namur Chamber Choir continues its journey through Handel’s great choral works (The Messiah, Jephtha, Semele, Solomon, Theodora), tackle a varied repertoire with its artistic director (St Matthew Passion, St John Passion in collaboration with choreographer Sasha Waltz, and Bach’s secular cantatas, Monteverdi’s Vespro and Orfeo, etc.) and expand its repertoire to include, amongst other works, operetta (Jacques Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne). He also continues close collaborations with Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques (Lully’s Thésée, Atys and Proserpine), Julien Chauvin and Le Concert de la Loge (Mozart’s Requiem, Haydn’s Creation), Reinoud Van Mechelen and A Nocte Temporis (Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre’s Acis et Galatée and Rameau’s Pygmalion), whilst embarking on new collaborations with Les Ambassadeurs (Rameau’s Zoroastre and Dardanus), as well as with René Jacobs and the B’Rock Orchestra (Bizet’s Carmen)