Orchestre Poitou-Charentes

Since its inception, the Orchestre Poitou-Charentes (now the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine) offered era-spanning concert programs, from Mozart to Leonard Bernstein to more contemporary fare. The orchestra presented around 40 concerts a year, which included several specifically for children, as well as educational and cultural community outreach programs. The Orchestre Poitou-Charentes was founded in Poitiers, France, in 1981. It kept a roster of 45 to 50 musicians generally from the surrounding area, where many of its members were active teachers in nearby schools. The orchestra's concert season consisted of approximately 40 concerts, typically with three specifically designed for younger audiences. Though its home was the Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers, the orchestra performed throughout the region. Beyond the concert hall, the group was active in outreach programs for different school levels, master classes for young musicians, and programs for Alzheimer's patients, among others. From the start, the Orchestre Poitou-Charentes attracted the attention of prominent guest conductors and soloists, such as François-Xavier Roth, Arie van Beek, and Jean-Jacques Kantorow. Charles Frey served as the orchestra's artistic director from 1989 to 2000. Frey was succeeded by pianist and conductor Jean-François Heisser in 2000. Heisser led the orchestra on its debut recording of works by Manuel de Falla on the Mirare label in 2007. Several more albums followed, including 2014's American Journey, which featured works by Bernstein, Gershwin, Bernard Herrmann, and others. This would be the group's final recording before it was renamed the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine in 2017. Heisser continued in the post of artistic director with the newly named orchestra.
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