SAISON 26.27

Joël Suhubiette, how would you introduce this new season?

In a world marked by uncertainty and upheaval, at a time when the place of culture is under threat in many places, it seems to us more essential than ever to reaffirm the meaning of our commitment. Upholding our mission, bringing our artistic ambitions to life and continuing to share music with as many people as possible remain at the heart of what we do.

Contemporary composition remains central to Les Éléments’ artistic vision. What does this new season have in store for us?

This new season will be diverse, open to a variety of aesthetics and repertoires, but contemporary composition will remain, as always, at the heart of our approach. Two new works in particular will bear witness to this commitment: a piece for choir and instruments commissioned from Joan Magrané, to be premiered next March at the Philharmonie de Paris with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, and an a cappella work for female voices commissioned from the composer Trami Nguyen, which will be premiered in April at the Festival Musique Démesurée in Clermont-Ferrand. Two distinctive compositional styles, two collaborations, and a constantly renewed determination to bring to the fore the contemporary music that I love so much.

You’re kicking off the season in the region as part of European Heritage Days – is there a special programme to mark the occasion?

Indeed, from Ronsard to Shakespeare, from Éluard to Apollinaire and García Lorca, ‘Le cœur des poètes’ celebrates poetry and takes us on a journey through the centuries, from the Renaissance to the Romantic era and right up to the 20th century.  Eight soloists from Les Éléments will open this season with this programme to mark the European Heritage Days, both in Toulouse and in the Tarn at the magnificent site of Puycelsi.

As in every season, opera features prominently in Les Éléments’ programme. What will be the ensemble’s major operatic highlights?

From November, the choir will return to Gluck’s *Iphigénie en Tauride*, directed by Wajdi Mouawad, for a revival at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg following its premiere at the Opéra-Comique last season. Then, in April in Paris, another major work from the repertoire will bring Les Éléments and the Orchestre de chambre de Paris together: Donizetti’s *Maria Stuarda*, performed in a concert version at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.

Are these collaborations with orchestras and conductors an important part of the choir’s activities?

Yes, whether in oratorio or opera, Les Éléments continue to collaborate with leading orchestras and are taking part in an increasing number of artistic collaborations. This season once again, the choir will have the pleasure of working under the baton of renowned conductors, including Pierre Bleuse, Clelia Cafiero, Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Julien Chauvin. These collaborations always provide us with an opportunity to compare approaches, renew the way we work and deepen our musical exploration – it’s a real joy!

With recent programmes, revivals and new projects, what other events can we look forward to this season?

Les Éléments will revisit ‘Sérénade d’hiver’ for a series of Christmas concerts in Occitanie. In the spring, the ‘Silence and Music’ programme, premiered last summer, will make its first stop in Blagnac as part of the Odyssud season, which has been hosting us in residence for many years, setting off on tour a few weeks later. Finally, at the end of the season, before the summer, we’ll be joined by the Concert de la Loge orchestra for Handel’s Messiah at the Saint-Denis and Saint-Michel en Thiérache festivals.

Beyond its artistic activities, Les Éléments also fulfils an important role in promoting vocal art in Occitanie. How does this aspect fit into the season’s programme?

The role of National Centre for Vocal Art for the Occitanie Region, entrusted to Les Éléments by the Ministry of Culture, provides us with the means to bring to life a comprehensive programme centred on vocal art. A project in which, throughout the season, both in Toulouse and across the region, artists and teachers, students and trainees, amateur singers, and children from schools and conservatoires come together, united by a shared desire to pass on knowledge, to learn and to share.

In June 2027, for the third year running in Narbonne, the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation’s national ‘Chants Libres’ festival – organised in Occitanie by Les Éléments – will be the highlight of this collective endeavour. We are delighted with this partnership, as it will once again bring together and foster dialogue between very different practices, generations and backgrounds within the field of vocal art.

Mission Voix Occitanie also helps to build on this momentum. What does it bring to the Les Éléments project?

Mission Voix Occitanie, led by Perrine Malgouyres, joined the Les Éléments association in early 2026. It offers a wide range of activities: workshops, training courses, meetings and masterclasses for singers and choir directors… The expertise and knowledge of the region, developed over the last thirty years by Mission Voix, enrich the overall Les Éléments project and strengthen our ability to support vocal artists in all their diversity.

Finally, how would you define the mission of Les Éléments and these three centres today?

Together, Les Éléments – National Centre for Vocal Art and Mission Voix Occitanie share a common ambition: to ensure the long-term sustainability and strengthen the essential missions serving all those involved in the vocal arts in Occitanie.

Creating, promoting, passing on, supporting, training, bringing artists and audiences together, and helping young artists and ensembles to emerge: it is this collective dynamic – whilst continuing to uphold high artistic standards – that enables us to shape the future of vocal art in our region.

What would you like to say to your audience?

First of all, thank you… for being here, for your loyalty and trust in supporting us, and above all for remaining curious as ever… that’s essential! And then, of course, ‘See you soon’!