... and all the others !
Becoming an orchestral musician in 2023 means being able to pass on your passion for the symphonic repertoire to different audiences of all ages and backgrounds. At the OFJ, musicians are trained in this key skill through various schemes. The OFJ has also set up several equal opportunity measures so that becoming an orchestral musician is as widely accessible as possible.
Seeking out different audiences
Chamber Music and Cultural Outreach
The orchestra’s sessions provide the opportunity to leave the confines of the residence to seek out new audiences who don’t necessarily go to concert halls. The orchestra’s musicians work on chamber music repertoires (woodwind quartets and quintets, etc.) and learn to present them with the help of teachers specialising in cultural outreach. In 2023, Max Dozolme, a journalist with France Musique (Maxxi Classique) will accompany the various groups. The groups will then have the chance to perform the works in a variety of venues (“outside the walls” concerts, for disadvantaged audiences, in leisure centres, etc.).
Introduced rehearsals open to the general public
In the summer and winter, young audiences from the region can come to some of the orchestra’s rehearsals and even come on stage next to the musicians to learn about the rhythm and reality of a rehearsal in real conditions. These sessions are set up in collaboration with the residency’s partners, the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans and the Opéra de Dijon.
Committed to equal opportunities
Our Measures
In 2023, the OFJ launched various measures to encourage young musicians from all kinds of socio-professional backgrounds to have access to the orchestra.The orchestra has established a scholarship system that waives enrolment fees and reimburses travel costs for students with grants or who can demonstrate the need for assistance.In the summer of 2023, the orchestra tested a measure called “pépinière” (incubator): integrating students spotted during auditions into the orchestra for a week, so that they can work on the chamber music repertoire and benefit from the sessions in sections with the teachers. The aim of this project is to give them the tools they need to prepare for auditions in subsequent years.
A New Partnership with Démos
In 2023-2024, the OFJ is taking part for the first time in the Démos scheme. Run by the Philharmonie de Paris for over ten years, Démos combines social and musical support for children from disadvantaged neighbourhoods and isolated rural areas. As part of the Olympiade Culturelle, fifteen musicians from the OFJ will train, mentor and pass on their passion for orchestra to seventy teenage members of Démos from all over France. OFJ members will thus learn about transmission by mentoring younger musicians for almost a year before performing on stage with them on June 23rd 2024 at the Philharmonie de Paris for a show that combines dance (with the Compagnie Grenade) and music.