Photo : © Jean-Baptiste Millot
Stradivaria explores the baroque and classical repertoire, taking a historically informed approach, and engaging demanding and perceptive musicians, specialists in period instruments.
Founded in 1987 by Daniel Cuiller, a pioneer of the baroque revolution, since 2023 Stradivaria has been led by the oboist Guillaume Cuiller.
The orchestra’s work focuses mainly on baroque music and the wind instrument repertoire of the late 18th century. Offering programmes requiring a varying number of performers, Stradivaria regularly invites soloists to share the platform: Benjamin Alard, Rachel Redmond, Paulin Bündgen, Mathias Vidal and others.
Aside from the musicological aspect, their programmes take many new forms, with the intention of bringing ancient music together with the modern world, weaving links with other disciplines and musical styles, in collaboration with personalities such the dancer and choreographer Ambra Senatore, the composer Guillaume Connesson, or the video artist Pierrick Sorin.
Based in Nantes from its inception, Stradivaria focuses particularly on its regional base. Since 2022, les apartés – cycle of candle-lit concerts – offer a unique sound and visual experience for over a thousand audience members every season. Around this project, the orchestra has developed its own interpretation package, offering commented concerts for scholars, and performances for older people. It has also built a strong partnership with the Nantes conservatoire, working together for transmission, social inclusion and promotion of music for all.
Stradivaria puts on over thirty concerts a year, in various seasons and festivals in France and abroad, and also has some thirty albums to its name.
