The choir
The Choeur d'Oratorio de Lyon includes around forty amateur singers recruited by audition. Its ambition is to promote high-level amateur choral singing. To achieve this, it relies on rigorous, regular work, both individually (independent sight-reading, maintaining vocal quality through singing lessons) and collectively (weekly rehearsals, 5 to 6 weekends of work per year).
That way, over the past 40 years and more than 400 concerts, the Chœur d'Oratorio de Lyon has carved out a special place for itself on the musical scene in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, at the crossroads between amateur choir and professional ensemble.
Singers in the choir are deeply involved in their musical activity and in the association, through their contribution to administration, production, communication and stage management.
Repertoire
Since its creation, the Chœur d'Oratorio de Lyon has taken part in numerous symphonic productions, alone or alongside other choirs from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: Haydn's Creation, Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Mendelssohn's Symphony No.2 Lobgesang, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 Resurrection, Puccini's Messa di Gloria, Kodaly's Psalmus Hungaricus, Romeo and Juliet, Te Deum, Requiem and Enfance du Christ by Berlioz, Cantata Saint Nicolas by Britten, Gloria and Stabat Mater by Poulenc, Chichester Psalms by Bernstein, Verdi's Requiem, Mozart's Requiem...
The choir's a cappella repertoire ranges from the Renaissance (Janequin, Josquin Desprez, Gesualdo...) through Baroque (Monteverdi...) and Romantic (Brahms...) to twentieth-century works (Ravel, Rautavaraa, Philip Glass...).
The choir has also revived Montserrat's Livre Vermeil with an ensemble of medieval instruments, and made the world premiere recording of the version of Fauré's Requiem for brass quintet, choir and organ.
