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Les Éléments chamber choir
Driven by the vision of its founder, Joël Suhubiette, the choir Les Éléments promotes a demanding musical project that reflects its human and musical richness, a true artistic laboratory dedicated to the art of vocal music. With more than 25 years of concerts under its belt, the chamber choir Les Éléments is primarily committed to promoting creativity through regular commissions from contemporary composers, performing the great choral repertoire of the 20th and 21st centuries, and reviving the early vocal repertoire in accordance with musicological research. The very diversity of the forms approached by the ensemble—the promotion of the a cappella repertoire, the chamber choir repertoire, the soloist ensemble repertoire, oratorio, and even opera—are all subjects of exploration that give Les Éléments its identity.
From the United States to Lebanon, from Canada to Tunisia via Spain, Germany and many other countries, the choir's influence extends beyond France's borders, and it is in the local fabric that it finds its roots in the Occitanie region, notably through residencies at the Cité de Sorèze in the Tarn and at Odyssud-Blagnac in the Toulouse metropolitan area.
The choir is regularly invited to collaborate with other conductors on oratorios and is sought after by major opera houses, particularly the Opéra Comique.
It has also made its mark on the music world with more than thirty recordings released on the Mirare, L’empreinte digitale, Ligia, Virgin Classics, Naïve, and Hortus labels.
The notion of sharing is also central to the ensemble's artistic project through artistic and cultural education initiatives, training, the promotion of amateur practice, and the sharing of its resources. In recognition of its remarkable contribution to vocal art, the Les Éléments chamber choir was designated a Center for Vocal Art by the Ministry of Culture in 2019, as part of the national program of centers for vocal art.
Les Éléments — a versatile vocal ensemble, equally at home in concert and on the opera stage, and perfectly comfortable with the highly demanding art of a cappella choral singing.
Les Éléments - Carte de visite
Some figures :
- 750 concerts
- + 40 commissions
- + 30 recordings
- 15 years of opera
- 1 Victoire de la Musique award and numerous other distinctions (Prix de l'Académie des Beaux-Arts - Bettencourt; Académie d'Occitanie; Choc du Monde de la Musique; Diapason)
- 15 countries
Les créations du choeur
Three questions for Joël Suhubiette
How do you travel through six centuries of music?
Having trained in early music from the very beginning of my career, the need to interpret it in accordance with the musicological research of recent decades is fundamental to my approach and that of the ensemble. Issues such as tuning, temperament, and period instruments, where applicable, are important for interpreting the music of the past. Les Éléments therefore performs works from the Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods. The entire 20th-century repertoire is also essential for a choir.
Commissioning new works from today's composers is central to my artistic project, making it a priority area for research, reflection, dissemination, and discography. It is part of a desire to defend the a cappella repertoire in particular and to participate in its renewal, convinced that it is in this demanding practice that the very essence of the choral instrument lies. In order to defend this musical diversity in all its identities and the coherence of the ensemble's sound, my aim has been to build a stable team of singers who are experienced in the different specificities and requirements of each repertoire. Thus, around twenty artists capable of navigating these varied musical forms now form the main backbone of the ensemble, which can expand to around forty singers for certain programs.
The choir Les Éléments is sometimes invited by other conductors to perform other repertoires. Is this important for the life of the ensemble?
Musical partnerships are important for the life of an ensemble. I am therefore particularly pleased that the choir is regularly invited to collaborate with many renowned conductors (such as Louis Langrée, Christophe Rousset, and Jérémie Rhorer in recent times) for the oratorio repertoire and that it is also sought after by major opera houses such as the Opéra-Comique, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and the Opéra national du Capitole. The choir always comes away enriched from an encounter with a new musical personality.
You are developing an important transmission program. What motivates you?
Alongside my work with the professional choir, I have always been committed to supporting and promoting amateur singing, particularly through Archipels, the vocal workshop, which offers students, music teachers, and enthusiastic amateurs the experience of demanding choral practice. Today, the Centre d'Art Vocal allows us to take this further, as well as to develop bridges between training courses and the professional world, with internships, academies, and masterclasses enabling many young musicians to discover polyphony.
For younger children, we have developed school programs to introduce them to the voice and vocal art, and we have commissioned new works that place children at the heart of the creative process and offer them stage experience alongside professional artists. Keen to reach the widest possible audience, we have rolled out a number of outreach initiatives aimed at seasoned music lovers, audiences who are isolated from cultural offerings, and audiences who are unable to attend.
