Les Siècles

A unique orchestra of musicians from a new generation, playing each repertoire on the appropriate historical instruments: Les Siècles puts several centuries of musical creation into perspective in a relevant and singular way.

Regular guests on the world's greatest stages, Les Siècles are in residence at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, in the Hauts-de-France region at the Atelier lyrique de Tourcoing, and in the Aisne department. They are also associate artists at the Cité de la Musique in Soissons and the Théâtre-Sénart in Lieusaint.

An orchestra of international renown, Les Siècles are regularly invited to perform on stages around the world: Berlin (Philharmonie, Konzerthaus), Vienna (Musikverein), London (BBC Proms, Barbican Center, Southbank Centre), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw, Muziekgebouw), Prague, Bruges (Concertgebouw), Lucerne, Zurich (Tonhalle), Salzburg, Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie), Cologne, Bremen, Brussels, Bucharest (Enescu Festival), Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Luxembourg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Rome, Venice, Essen...

Recording for the harmonia mundi label since 2018 and with more than twenty releases to date, Les Siècles continues to record the complete orchestral works of Berlioz, Ravel, and Debussy, as well as their cycle dedicated to Mahler and the Second Viennese School. The orchestra has also collaborated with the Palazzetto Bru Zane on the world premiere recordings of Saint-Saëns’s Le Timbre d’argent, Félicien David’s Christophe Colomb, and Paul Dukas’s cantata Velléda.

Three-time winners of the prestigious Deutsche Schallplattenkritik prize and the Edison Klassiek prize in the Netherlands, Les Siècles are one of the few French ensembles to have been nominated for the Gramophone Classical Music Award, which they won in 2018 for Classical Recording of the Year (Ravel, Daphnis et Chloé). Les Siècles have also been nominated three times for the Gramophone Award for Orchestra of the Year. Their recordings of Ravel’s Piano Concertos & Mélodies and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 were named Gramophone’s “Recording of the Month.” Regular nominees for the International Classical Music Awards, they won in 2020 for their recording of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Le Timbre d’argent and in 2023 for their recording of Pelléas et Mélisande. In 2025, the orchestra won the Caecilia Award for Best Album for their recording of Ligeti’s Violin Concerto and Piano Concerto, awarded by the Belgian press.

In France, they have won a Victoire de la Musique Classique for the recording Mirages with Sabine Devieilhe and two Diamants Opéra (including Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande), as well as several Diapasons d’Or and Chocs Classica awards. Their recordings Debussy, Jeux / Nocturnes / Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; Berlioz’s Harold in Italy and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande were named Classica’s “Choc of the Year,” and the Debussy album Jeux / Nocturnes / Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune was voted “Album of the Year” by the Presto Classical website.

Les Siècles also played a key role in the Presto! television programme, broadcast to millions of viewers on France 2 and released on DVD with Kanopé.

Eager to share their passion for classical music with as many people as possible, the ensemble’s musicians regularly offer educational activities in schools and hospitals throughout the Hauts-de-France and Île-de-France regions. The orchestra launched the “Music in Hospitals” project for children and adults hospitalized in Paris, Boulogne-Billancourt, and Beauvais. The orchestra continues its musical residency at the Jacques Decour preschool in Nanterre and works with CHAM classes at middle schools in Montreuil and Sevran in Seine-Saint-Denis. The orchestra is a partner of the Jeune Symphonie de l’Aisne and DEMOS (Dispositif d’Éducation Musicale et Orchestrale à vocation Sociale). Les Siècles are also committed to reaching isolated audiences, such as at the Petite Bibliothèque Ronde in Clamart, to combat inequalities in access to art and culture. Professional integration is also a central part of Les Siècles’ activities, with the goal of teaching young musicians how to play historical instruments through Académies2 (in partnership with the ONL) and the Jeune Orchestre Européen Hector Berlioz (Berlioz Festival of La Côte-Saint-André).