New Year's Concert at La Madeleine

Established with the aim of forging links between graduating students and professional orchestras, the Orchestre Hélios has gone from strength to strength in the ten years since its 2014 launch. The brainchild of artistic director, Paul Savalle, the orchestra is unusual in its commitment to collaborating with local and regional choral ensembles, expanding its repertoire, which already stretches from the Baroque to the Contemporary, to include major vocal works. The orchestra's musicians are graduates and senior students at France's leading conservatoires, and several also play with national orchestras. A roster of distinguished guest conductors helps accustom members to different styles and approaches to musical leadership. Performing in some of Paris' most majestic churches, including La Madeleine and Saint Sulpice, on a regular basis, the orchestra is designed in such a way that its forces can scale from full symphony down to string quartet, facilitating access to additional beautiful and unusual spaces, many of which are not usually open to the public.