the orchestra
Founded in 2011 by conductor Claire Gibault, the Paris Mozart Orchestra is a unique ensemble – committed, daring and unanimous in its sense of purpose. Through challenging and innovative programming the PMO champions both classical and contemporary music, while advancing the accessibility of the arts in a generous spirit of open-hearted partnership.
Alive to every audience, boldly exploring every new horizon, the Paris Mozart Orchestra is an orchestra like no other.
excellence for everyone
The PMO performs as naturally at prestigious concert halls such as Théâtre du Châtelet, Philharmonie de Paris, Amsterdam Concertgebouw or Eindhoven Muziekgebouw, as in prisons, hospitals and school canteens. We believe that strong artistic choices are inseparable from a strong social commitment.
To be a member of the orchestra is not only to participate in an exciting musical adventure; it is also a way to share in and champion the strongest of humanitarian values, reaching out to the very young, the underprivileged and the alienated. Every year, approximately 50% of the PMO’s activities are devoted to educational or social projects.
Showcasing the talents of the outstanding soloists of the PMO (members the Hélios Trio, Variances Ensemble…) lies at the heart of our project. The PMO also strives to promote an equal number of women in principal positions, paving the way for greater inclusion and diversity.
The ensemble regularly collaborates with world-class artists such as sopranos Natalie Dessay and pianist Maria João Pires, as well as outstanding young soloists such as pianists Isata Kanneh-Mason, Adam Laloum and Nathalia Milstein or trumpet player Lucienne Renaudin-Vary.
creations
A powerful advocate of contemporary music, artistic director Claire Gibault commissions each season a new multimedia “melologue” from a distinguished composer (Fabio Vacchi, Silvia Colasanti, Graciane Finzi, Édith Canat de Chizy, Philippe Hersant, Alexandra Grimal, Benoît Menut…) creating an original and highly evocative repertory designed as much to enthrall today’s music lovers and concert goers as to inspire and challenge the young participants in the PMO’s award-winning educational arts and culture project Orchestre Au Bahut, a laureate of “La France S’Engage” label.
looking back
Among its recent projects, the PMO performed at the Philharmonie de Paris, Stresa Festival (Italy), French May Festival (Hong Kong), Folle Journée de Nantes and Festival de Pâques in Aix-en-Provence. In 2021-2022, for its 10 year anniversary season, the orchestra notably performed during a 10-day tour in Mexico (Cervantino Festival), as well as at the Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven, in de Doelen Rotterdam, at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, at the Polish Radio Auditorium, at the Auditorium national de Lyon, and during 2 “Diversità” concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris.
A fervent advocate of gender equality in the classical music industry, the PMO is a co-founder, with the Philharmonie de Paris, of La Maestra International Competition and Academy for Women Conductors, which will have its 3rd edition in March 2024. In this context, the PMO participates in numerous actions and concerts in favor of the new generation of women conductors, in France and abroad.
looking ahead
On the 2022-2023 horizon, a new residency in Bourges is looming, with concerts at the Maison de la Culture and the deployment of educational actions in 11 schools of the Cher department, as well as concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, Bozar Brussels, Folle Journée de Nantes and Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The PMO’s 1st recording featured the melologue Soudain dans la Forêt Profonde, a setting by Fabio Vacchi of words by Amos Oz; their 2nd CD “Pictures of America” with Natalie Dessay was released by Sony in December 2016. Inspired by the paintings of the American realist Edward Hopper, it includes works by Graciane Finzi and Samuel Barber alongside a selection of American jazz classics. In 2018, the PMO collaborated with graphic novelist Sandrine Revel, winner of the prestigious Prix Artemisia for her graphic novel Glenn Gould, a life off tempo in 2016. Inspired in many different ways by Claire Gibault and the PMO, her acclaimed album Pygmalion was published in France in May 2018, featuring a recording of Georg Benda’s Pygmalion performed by the PMO. In October 2022, the first PMO podcast “hear the smile” is published, dedicated to Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto with Carjez Gerretsen.
Without them, the very essence of the PMO project and Claire Gibault’s vision would not be possible: thank you to our great patron the Daniel and Nina Carasso Foundation, as well as to the Ardian, ADP Group, Polycarpe and TotalEnergies foundations, to Bpifrance, Google, Tenzing – les Compagnons du Conseil, Vivendi Create Joy, Centre national de la musique, Maison de la Musique Contemporaine, SACEM and the Île-de-France Region for their renewed support. Thank you to the members of the Donors’ Circle for their precious support. Finally, thank you to the patrons who trust us for the 1st year of the PMO residency in the Centre-Val de Loire region: the patronage of Mécénat Caisse des Dépôts Centre-Val de Loire, Crédit Mutuel du Centre, Hôtel de Panette, Michelin aeronautical site of Bourges Saint-Doulchard, Michelin Corporate Foundation, Monin, Peugeot – Groupe Vincent, as well as individual patrons.