About the OFJ
Founded in 1982 as a French Ministry of Culture initiative, the National Youth Orchestra of France (OFJ) trains young musicians from all over France in the orchestral professions. It picks out promising young artists, bringing them together in intensive sessions and giving them the opportunity to work with accomplished international conductors and world-famous soloists. The OFJ performs in France, at the Philharmonie de Paris, Lille and Dijon, and at leading festivals as well as abroad on summer tours. Every year, three sessions gather together around one hundred musicians from music academies. These sessions offer a chance to study emblematic orchestral works from the 18th century to the present day alongside seasoned professionals.
Background
Since it was set up in 1982, the OFJ has had plenty of adventures! Find out about the conductors, highlights and residencies that have marked the life of the orchestra.
1982
The orchestra’s 1st residency at the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans
Musical Director Maurice Fleuret sets up an “orchestra school” to train young French instrumentalists in the profession of orchestra musician in response to demand from French orchestra communities that are struggling to recruit locally. The first orchestra conductor is Jérôme Kaltenbach, and the students are supervised by musicians from the Orchestre de Paris.
September 5th, 1st Parisian concert:
Great success in the Salle Pleyel!
1987
Greek and Israeli Tour
1989
The OFJ’s Indian Tour
with the Orchestre de Paris Choir
1993
Residency at the Opéra de Vichy
With its German and Italian counterparts, the OFJ creates the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras (EFNYO)
1995
On Marek Janowski’s initiative, a shorter interim session is launched, more similar to the rhythm of a professional orchestra
1996
15 YEARS!
1st concert at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw to celebrate the orchestra’s 15th anniversary
1998
Polish Tour in collaboration with Polskie Radio
2000
1st concert at the Konzerthaus Berlin as part of the first edition of the Young Euro Classic Festival, set up on the initiative of the EFNYO
2001
Residency at the Auditorium de Dijon
2002
20 YEARS!
20 concerts in 24 hours, and 300 musicians on stage at the Auditorium de Dijon
2006
Creation of the OFJ Baroque
Up to 2018, its conductors have included Christophe Rousset, Paul Agnew, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon and Rinaldo Alessandrini
2007
Residency at the Grand Théâtre de Provence in Aix-en-Provence
2009
Kwamé Ryan conducts the OFJ performing Rachmaninov’s Symphony N° 2 for an audience of 30,000 at the Fête de l’Humanité!
The European programme Musxchange is set up
The Cultural Outreach training programme is launched
2012
30 YEARS!
Concerts at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord and Salle Pleyel
World première of Philip Glass’ Symphony N° 10
2017
Residency in the Hauts-de-France region
2018
Romanian Tour
2019
L’OFJ Baroque prend la forme d’une session consacrée au jeu et répertoire classiques
The OFJ organises the 1st edition of the CEREX (European Centre of Resources and Excellence), designed to train young European musicians in cultural outreach
2020
The OFJ is the first national orchestra to adopt an Eco-responsible Charter
2022
40 years!
World première of Suzanne Giraud’s “Liesse”
Anniversary concert at the Philharmonie de Paris
Romanian Tour
2023
Residency at the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans and the Opéra de Dijon
Musical direction
Kristiina Poska
Musical director
From summer 2025, Estonian conductor Kristiina Poska will be the new Musical Director of the OFJ.
Kristiina Poska, a brilliant conductor, is currently Musical Director of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and Principal Guest Conductor at the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. She has also been Musical director of the Theater Basel and Kapellmeister at the Komische Oper Berlin. She regularly works with orchestras all over the world including the BBC Scottish Symphony, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouworkest, the hr-Sinfonieorchester, the Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zurich, the Minnesota Orchestra and the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, to name but a few. In France, she has directed the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and the Orchestre National de Metz, and this year, made her debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France.
Kristiina Poska’s nomination is part of the OFJ’s project to provide training of excellence in the symphonic repertoire, to keep pace with developments in the profession of orchestral musician, and to develop its international reputation.
Her commitment to younger generations, her passion for music of our time and her ability to unite orchestral musicians all correspond to the ambitions of the OFJ, a unique training facility in France recognised abroad for its very high standards.
“I am extremely proud and honoured to become the new musical director of the National Youth Orchestra of France and to follow in the footsteps of my magnificent predecessors. Over the last few years, I have worked regularly with young conductors. I find it particularly inspiring and gratifying to be so focused on the music we’re making, exploring it in depth together. I can’t wait to pass on my experience and knowledge to the next generation of French musicians, and to enjoy the outstanding setting of the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans, the orchestra’s headquarters, and perform with them in some of Europe’s most prestigious halls.” Kristiina Poska
Amandine Beyer
Conductor of the classical session
As from november 2025, french violonist Amandine Beyer is going to be guest conductor for the classical session at fall, whiwh is dedicated to 17th century’s repertoire.
Amandine Beyer studied in CNSMD de Paris and then at the Schola Cantorum of Bâle (Switzerland) with Chiara Banchini. She also studied Under the guidance of Christophe Coin, Hopkinson Smith and Pedro Memelsdorff. She wins First Price of Antonio Vivaldi’s Competition in Turino in 2001.
Since, Amandine Beyer has given concerts throughout the entire world, as well as a solist as a Konzertmeister, but also with her own ensemble Gli Incogniti, wich she founded in 2006.
Loving Freedom, pleasure and sharing, Gli Incogniti approaches ancient and classical répertoires (Bach, Vivaldi, Couperin, Haydn, Mozart,…)
At the same time, Amandine Beyer dedicates great time to chamber music with great partners such as Pierre Hantaï, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Andreas Staier, Giuliano Carmignola, surfing (?) from Baroque to Romanticism.
She creates the Kitgut Qaurtet in 2015, string quartet with historical instruments.
Amandine Beyer’s discography, as a solist as well as Gli Incogniti, is critically acclaimed and rewarded with the most prestigious prices (Diapason d’Or, Choc de l’année, Gramophone Editor’s choice, ffff de Télérama).
Moved by transmission and teaching, Amandine is also a violin teacher at the Schola Cantorum of Bâle since 2010.
“To share a lecture, discovery and music time with a youth orchestra is one of the most beautiful thing there is. Doing it with the OFJ, where I will have the chance to reach to every musicians with the ancient repertoire has moved me with joy and Energy, and I strongly hope to find a way to share my passion for the pursuit of rich, deep sound and a varied, sparkling expression.”
The musical directors of the OFJ symphony orchestra since 1982
1982-1983 Jérôme Kaltenbach / 1984-1997 & 2011-2003 Emmanuel Krivine
1986 Sylvain Cambreling / 1992-1997 Marek Janowski
1998-2000 & 2004 Jésus Lopez Cobos / 2005-2007 Jean-Claude Casadesus
2008 & 2011-2014 Dennis Russell Davies / 2009-2010 Kwamé Ryan
2015-2016 David Zinman / 2017-2020 Fabien Gabel
2021- Michael Schønwandt
The soloists
Alexandre Tharaud
Piano
His extraordinary discography of over 25 solo albums, most of which received major awards from the music press, features repertoire ranging from Couperin, Bach and Scarlatti, through Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Brahms, and Rachmaninov to the major 20th century French composers. The breadth of his artistic endeavours is also reflected in collaborations with theatre makers, dancers, choreographers, writers and film makers, as well as with singer-songwriters and musicians outside the realm of classical music.
Alexandre is a sought-after soloist, appearing with many of the world’s leading orchestras: upcoming highlights include concerto performances with the Orchestre de Paris, Orchestre National de France, NAC Orchestra Ottawa, Les Violons du Roy, BBC Scottish Symphony,…
As a recitalist, Alexandre Tharaud is a regular guest at the world’s most prestigious venues. This and next season’s highlights include recitals at the Philharmonie de Paris, King’s Place London, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Bayreuth, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Casa da Música Porto, Zankel Hall and extensive touring in Japan, China and Korea. Over the course of his career he has made critically acclaimed recordings of Rameau, Scarlatti, Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Italian Concerto, Beethoven’s three final sonatas, Chopin’s 24 Preludes, and Ravel’s complete piano works.
In 2017, Alexandre published Montrez-moi vos mains, an introspective and engaging account of daily life as a pianist. He had previously co-authored Piano Intime, with journalist Nicolas Southon. He is the subject of a film directed by Swiss film maker Raphaëlle Aellig-Régnier: Alexandre Tharaud, Le Temps Dérobé, and appeared in the role of the pianist “Alexandre” in Michael Hanneke’s celebrated 2012 film Amour.
Quatuor Ébène
Quatuor à cordes
Pierre Colombet (violon), Gabrielle Magadure (violon), Marie Chilemme (alto), Yuya Okamoto (violoncelle)
Un concert du Quatuor Ébène est toujours une expérience musicale et sensorielle unique. Depuis plus de vingt ans, l’ensemble repousse les frontières du quatuor à cordes en conjuguant exigence artistique, ouverture stylistique et lien direct avec le public. En 2024, l’arrivée officielle de Yuya Okamoto marque une nouvelle étape dans l’histoire du quatuor. Révélé par son succès au Concours de l’ARD en 2004, le Quatuor Ébène a depuis reçu de nombreuses distinctions, dont le prix Belmont, le Fonds Borletti-Buitoni, le Frankfurter Musikpreis, ou encore des Gramophone Awards, BBC Music Magazine Awards, Choc Classica et Diapason d’Or. Curieux et audacieux, les musiciens explorent aussi d’autres univers : jazz, pop, musiques du monde, avec des albums comme Fiction, Brésil, Eternal Stories, ou encore Waves en 2024 avec l’artiste électronique Xavier Tribolet. Parmi leurs projets majeurs : l’intégrale des quatuors à cordes de Beethoven, enregistrée sur six continents pour célébrer leur 20e anniversaire, et des collaborations avec Philippe Jaroussky, Matthias Goerne, Gautier Capuçon, Antoine Tamestit… Pédagogues engagés, ils ont fondé en 2021 la Quatuor Ébène Academy à la Hochschule de Munich. Résidents à Radio France, à la Philharmonie Luxembourg et en cycle au Konzerthaus de Vienne, ils se produisent cette saison au Carnegie Hall, à Berlin, Salzbourg, Londres, ou encore Athènes.
Residency
Since the summer of 2023, the orchestra has been in residence in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, at the Saline Royale d’Arc-et-Senans and the Opéra de Dijon. The August and autumn sessions are to be held in the Saline Royale (royal salt works), a UNESCO World Heritage site, its principal residence. The Opéra de Dijon will be hosting the winter session. This residency is accompanied by a number of projects and partnerships designed to bring the orchestra to the attention of all kinds of audiences, providing training in an essential aspect of the orchestral musician’s profession.
The OFJ and Europe
The OFJ’s European influence is essential: every year, the orchestra tours Europe, showcasing “French sound” and introducing young people to other professional cultures. In parallel, the OFJ is an active member of European projects for orchestral training: it participates in EUYO (European Union Youth Orchestra) auditions (taking responsibility for the first round of auditions), and is a member of the EFNYO, the network of European youth orchestras. In this capacity, it takes part in the musXchange project, which enables countries to offer immersive sessions in other youth orchestras (e.g. a Dutch trumpeter joined the OFJ for the summer session, while a French cellist is joining the JONDE, Spain’s youth orchestra, for one of its sessions).
During lyrical session dedicated to Le Château de Barbe-Bleue, four musical european students came from Portugal, Malta and Italy have joined their french colleagues.
Are you interested in the EUYO?
An Eco-responsible Orchestra
Back in 2020, the OFJ adopted an eco-responsible charter, which commits it to reducing waste, limiting air travel and encouraging short distribution channels for its catering. The orchestra is deeply committed to this approach: in 2023, one out of every two meals served to students is vegetarian, and the orchestra chose to travel by train and coach and did not fly on its annual tour.