The youngest permanent French orchestra
Permanent orchestra of the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region, the Victor Hugo Orchestra performs a wide repertoire ranging from Bach to the Rite of Spring, from Lili Boulanger to Berio, from Glass to Leopold Mozart, from Mahler to Debussy, from jazz-rock to romanticism. He does not hesitate to program concertos for marimba, glass harmonica, blues band, or even alpine horn and proposes innovative creations, with the writers Bernard Friot and Vincent Cuvellier, the painter Charles Belle, jazzmen Andy Emler, Erik Truffaz, Awek Blues, David Linx, Baptiste Trotignon, choreographer Nathalie Pernette, video artist Claire Willeman, singers Hubert-Felix Thiéfaine, John Southworth or MC Solar, the Sirba Octet...
The best of the soloists and guest conductors
Since 2010, Jean-François Verdier, artistic director of the Orchestra, chooses over the seasons the best soloists and conductors to accompany this musical adventure. The Victor Hugo Orchestra collaborates with singers such as : Renée Fleming, Sandrine Piau, Piotr Beczala, Ludovic Tézier, Karine Deshayes, Isabelle Druet... and artists such as François Leleux, Anne Queffélec, Jean-François Heisser, Emmanuel Rossfelder, Sigiswald Kuijken, Bertrand de Billy, Reinhardt Goebel, Arie van Beek, Lio Kuokman, Alexandra Soumm, Nemanja Radulovic, Alexandre Kantorow, Valeriy Sokolov, Edicson Ruiz, Sergei Nakariakov, Pacho Flores, Isabelle Faust, Alexei Ogrintchouk, Sophie Dervaux... he invites numerous conductors: Sofi Jeannin, Debora Waldman, Alexandra Cravero, Elizabeth Askren, Dina Gilbert, Ustina Dubitsky, Johanna Malangré...
An orchestra for all audiences
The Victor Hugo Orchestra defines itself as a collective of musicians serving the public and music. Deeply involved in the social life of its region, it is also an active ambassador, whether at the Philharmonie de Paris where it has been invited several times, or in festivals such as the Folle journée de Nantes, the Eurockéennes, FestiNeuch, the Festival des Forêts, the Festival des Nuits Romantiques, the Festival Berlioz ... He reaches out to all audiences, especially children and teenagers, with artistic projects specially designed for them and by opening the doors of the stage, rehearsals, playing in libraries, school yards, factory sheds... He regularly creates shows for young audiences and launches in 2018 Rendez-vous conte, the first participatory season dedicated to musical tales.
Numerous award-winning records
L’Orchestre Victor Hugo fait partie des orchestres français les plus imaginatifs en matière discographique avec environ deux publications par an, qui ont reçu de nombreuses distinctions (The Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Choix de France Musique, Diamant d’Opéra Magazine, 2 Chocs de Classica, Clef d’or ResMusica, 5 Diapason, 4F de Télérama, Coups de Cœur de l’Académie Charles Cros…).
The Victor Hugo Franche-Comté Orchestra is "associated formation" with two national stages: Les 2 Scènes (national stage of Besançon)
and MA scène nationale (national stage of the Pays de Montbéliard), and with the International Music Festival of Besançon.
The Victor Hugo Franche-Comté Orchestra is financed by the City of Besançon, the Burgundy-Franche-Comté Region, the City of Montbéliard and Pays de Montbéliard Agglomération within the framework of a mixed syndicate. It receives the support of the Ministry of Culture and Communication (DRAC Bourgogne-Franche-Comté).