Orchestre royal de chambre de Wallonie
Orchestre royal de chambre de Wallonie
In 1958 Lola Bibesco founded the ensemble Les Solistes de Bruxelles, subsequently known as The Eugène Ysaÿe String Ensemble, now renamed The Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia (Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie, or ORCW).
Biography
The orchestra has regularly worked with some of the foremost artists, including José Van Dam, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Aldo Ciccolini, Mischa Mayski, Maurice André, Arthur Grumiaux, Philippe Hirschhorn, Georges Octors, Jean-Pierre Wallez, Gidon Kremer, Louis Lortie, Jian Wang, Ivry Gitlis, Antoine Tamestit, Henri Demarquette, Richard Galliano, the Modigliani Quartet, Jean-Philippe Collard, Gérard Caussé, Renaud et Gautier Capuçon, Augustin Dumay, and Maria João Pires.
It has played in all the major international concert halls: in Paris, Beijing, Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Bucharest, Bayreuth, Munich, Luxembourg, Zurich, Geneva, Saint Petersburg, Brussels, and many other cities.
Following on its most recent Music Directors, Augustin Dumay (2003–2013) and Frank Braley (2014-2019), Vahan Mardirossian has now taken up the baton, continuing the work of his predecessors in striving for the highest standards.
The Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia regularly gives concerts in Belgium under the direction of its violinist-conductor, Jean-François Chamberlan.
The Orchestra collaborates with the International Queen Elizabeth Competition, and frequently appears at the Chapelle Musicale Reine Élisabeth, the Bozar and Flagey Music and Arts Centres in Brussels, and numerous Belgian festivals.
At Mons, its city of residence, it is a partner of Mons Arts de la Scène (Mars), and with the support of the City of Mons it offers programmes of diverse and original repertoire, featuring the greatest international artists, including Michel Portal, Paul Meyer, Éliane Reyes, Ronald Van Spaendonck, Augustin Dumay, Gérard Caussé, Steve Houben, Aurélien Pascal, Les Violons du Roy, Jean-Pierre Wallez, Richard Galliano, Renaud Capuçon, le Quatuor Modigliani, Jean-Philippe Collard, Anne Quéffelec, Miguel da Silva, Sergio Alapont, Barnabás Kelemen, Mathieu Herzog, Henri Demarquette, Pascal Contet, Lorenzo Gatto, and Gary Hoffman.