OCL; Credit: © Bohumil Kostohryz

Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to speak with Sylvie Charmoy, Director of the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra (Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg - OCL), about the new 2024-2025 season, as well as the OCL's 50th anniversary celebrations.

Chronicle.lu: We understand that you took over as OCL Director one year ago, in September 2023. In your experience, what have been some of the highlights or milestones linked to the OCL over the past year?

Sylvie Charmoy: It is difficult to choose, because the musicians and my team have no shortage of ideas, which is what makes some people say we are changing the wheels of the train as it moves forward. To give you an idea of the scope of our activities, I would like to mention:

- the OCL's debut at the Opéra Comique in Paris, in Francesco Filidei's opera L’Inondation, which was a resounding success;

- the concert Rêves de printemps with the outstanding British tenor Ian Bostridge at the Philharmonie;

- Black Sabbath with the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg;

- the aperitif concert, Chef meets Chef, created with the chef Anne Faber in collaboration with the Cercle Cité.

The OCL is also very active in the field of creation and gives pride of place to Luxembourg composers. Last year, we revisited Dicks' Mumm Séiss with the composer Ivan Boumans, played An der Schwemm by Lou Koster, performed Olivier Dartevelle's music to a film by Ernst Lubistch, and created Konzertstück mit Barcarole by Roland Wiltgen.

At the cutting edge of innovation in terms of pedagogy, the most spectacular event of the year was surely when the OCL set up its instruments at the International School of Luxembourg. As an orchestra without a fixed address, we had to find a place to rehearse, and we combined this with a local project. Hosting rehearsals at the International School of Luxembourg allows for interactive rehearsals, allows young people to compose, to film us, to come to concerts... This residency in schools will be extended to public establishments from this season onwards.

The OCL is [also] experiencing a major change today regarding its musical direction, since Corinna Niemeyer has chosen not to renew her contract this season. The recruitment interviews for our future conductor are underway and, in a month or so, you will know our short-list. As you will have gathered, being 50 years old is still synonymous with development for the OCL.

What makes us smile the most is the fact that more and more people are following us, to the point where we have to use the Philharmonie's Grand Auditorium more regularly. They are intergenerational (~20% under 27) and seem to be curious, because they enjoy being surprised by little-known works or composers that we include in our themed concerts (your most curious readers will notice that they are illustrated in a very original way).

Chronicle.lu: How does the role of Director complement that of Musical Director?

Sylvie Charmoy: You have put your finger on a key cog in the wheel of cultural structures. For an artistic project to move forward, this pairing has to function optimally, in my opinion. In my job, I like to ask myself how I can give life to the ideas of the musical director. How, by drawing up budgets, finding partnerships, negotiating contracts with venues and artists, etc., I can help [the musical director] to create a programme that may have sprung from their imagination in a few minutes, on the corner of a table over dinner.

I am also the artistic director of the OCL, which is something new in my professional life. As our conductors do not necessarily know our region or our artists, I embody the continuity of the artistic strategy that the Association [OCL] has adopted. It is a question of bringing together the right people, at the right time, in the right place, and imagining what OCL will be like in 50 years' time.

It is a delicate task, but I am working on it with the volunteer musicians who make up our Artistic Committee, and with my colleagues Mathilde Morlot and Valentin Besson, who in turn give more meaning to the actions and fine-tune them down to the smallest detail.

Chronicle.lu: Founded in 1974, the OCL counts about 35 musicians. Are these mainly local musicians (coming from Luxembourg or neighbouring areas) or also representing and / or collaborating with international talent?

Sylvie Charmoy: 35 is in fact the number of our tenured musicians who joined the orchestra through a competitive examination. The OCL is composed of 53% of musicians living in Luxembourg and 81% of musicians the Greater Region. We do, however, broaden our scope when we call on soloists and conductors. We then look for international talent (and we also find some in Luxembourg!) to make our orchestra known beyond our borders.

Coming back to the orchestra itself, there are several reasons why it is important to us to play with a group of extremely talented musicians who are geographically close to us. The first, and most important of course, is to put together a top-flight team of musicians, an orchestra with a clearly identifiable sound. The second is to evolve in a geographical area where the musicians who live there can count on us for regular engagements, even if it is part-time. As you know, most musicians work on a part-time basis, so we are careful not to exacerbate this precariousness and the carbon footprint.

Chronicle.lu: What is the frequency of rehearsals? 

Sylvie Charmoy: Despite an intense programme of more than 25 projects per year, the musicians of the OCL are not permanent but freelance. They meet about three weeks a month during the season. Each concert takes around five rehearsals, but it takes much longer for an opera, of course.

Once you add in the teaching activities, you can get up to 128 days of work, as in 2023. But not all the orchestra members are involved every time, which is why our orchestra is said to be "variable geometry".

Chronicle.lu: What are the main criteria for joining the orchestra?

Sylvie Charmoy: As a musician? Being talented! Because playing in a small orchestra quickly puts you in front of the audience. As a musician in our chamber orchestra? Adaptable, sociable and curious to discover lesser-known works.

Chronicle.lu: Please tell us briefly about some key OCL dates for the public (anglophone in particular) for the new season.

Sylvie Charmoy: I can identify seven projects in our 2024-2025 season that would be of interest to an English-speaking audience and even more if we consider that music is a universal language, but I will give you my four favourites: 

- (not to be missed!) Picture a Day Like This on 28 February and 2 March 2025 at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg: the last opera by British star composer George Benjamin, who has also announced that he will be coming to Luxembourg for the occasion;

- Anne and Françoise Groben Prize Final on 14 November 2024 at the Philharmonie Luxembourg: discover future international talent and rate the best. Our competition is unique in that it is the only one open to several instruments. Listeners will therefore be able to hear soloists on violin, cello, piano and percussion during a single evening;

- A 360° Concert on 15 December 2024 at the CAPE in Ettelbruck: I invite readers to an immersive experience at the heart of our orchestra;

- 50 ans d’accord(s) on 15 May 2025 at the Philharmonie Luxembourg: the best of the OCL in a single evening? What better way to find out about us than to take part in our anniversary concert!