Welcome to the Saint-Martin church in Villers-sur-Mer

In January 2015, violinist Julien Chauvin founded a new ensemble playing period instruments with the ambition of reviving a key link in French musical history: Le Concert de la Loge Olympique. Founded in 1783 by the Count of Ogny, this orchestra was considered one of the finest in Europe and remained famous for its commission of the Parisian Symphonies from Joseph Haydn, which were performed in the Salle des Cent-Suisses of the Tuileries Palace. At the time, the vast majority of musicians were Freemasons, and many concert societies were affiliated with Masonic lodges, such as the Olympique de la Parfaite Estime. Today, the ensemble offers programs of chamber, symphonic, and lyrical music, conducted by the violin or baton, and showcases a wide repertoire, ranging from Baroque music to that of the early 20th century. The aim of this recreation is also to explore new concert forms, by reviving the spontaneity and customs of the late 18th century, which blended different genres and artists in a single evening, or by creating bridges with other artistic disciplines. The ensemble has participated in several operatic productions, notably performing Haydn's Armida directed by Mariame Clément, Sacchini's Le Cid directed by Sandrine Anglade, Lemoyne's Phèdre and Isouard's Cendrillon in productions at the Palazzetto Bru Zane directed by Marc Paquien, Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail directed by Christophe Rulhes, and Mozart's Don Giovanni directed by Jean-Yves Ruf. The orchestra also regularly works with renowned soloists such as Karina Gauvin, Sandrine Piau, Philippe Jaroussky, Marina Viotti, Andreas Staier, and Justin Taylor. Le Concert de la Loge performs in major French concert halls such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Théâtre du Châtelet, the Auditorium de Radio France, and the Arsenal de Metz, as well as in Europe: Teatro Real in Madrid, Wigmore Hall in London, Bozar in Brussels, the Essen Philharmonie, and the Halle Festival, as well as internationally with several tours in South America. In less than a decade, Le Concert de la Loge has built a vast discography with some twenty critically acclaimed recordings: the complete Parisian Symphonies by Haydn (Aparté label), two albums of violin concertos (Naïve label), before joining the Alpha label for orchestrated French melodies, Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, Mozart's Requiem, the Simply Mozart cycle based on his last three symphonies, and more recently, the world premiere on historical instruments of Gluck's opera Iphigénie en Aulide. The French National Olympic Committee opposed the ensemble's use of the adjective "Olympic," and in June 2016, it was forced to amputate its historic name and become "Le Concert de la Loge." The ensemble is supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Île-de-France Region, the City of Paris, Abéo, the Françoise Kahn-Hamm Endowment Fund, and patrons who are members of the Club Olympe. He is an associate artist in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation and is conducting a four-year joint residency with the Association for the Development of Musical Activities in Aisne (ADAMA) and the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles.