Institution

Radio France and Its Ensembles

Radio France is France's leading radio broadcasting group, embracing seven national radio stations and the 44 local stations which comprise the France Bleu network.

A prominent force in the arts, Radio France runs four permanent musical ensembles and brings music of the past and the present to the largest possible audience, presenting 220 concerts and 500 educational workshops each year. The Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Chœur de Radio France and Maîtrise de Radio France constitute a line-up that is unique in France and rare in Europe. The majority of their concerts are given in the new Auditorium de la Maison de la Radio in Paris, but Radio France's ensembles also travel to the world's most prestigious venues and festivals. In addition to radio broadcasts of the concert season at the Auditorium, performances are made available on a digital video platform, a "virtual concert hall" launched in December 2017.

Radio France is developing close links with China, thanks to its ensembles' regular visits to the country, but also to the efforts of the Chinese Friends of the Fondation Musique et Radio, a philanthropic initiative run by the Institut de France.

Speaker

Michel Orier, Director of Music and Creation

Michel Orier was founder-director of the Amiens Jazz Festival and of jazz recording label Label Blue before taking charge of Amiens' Maison de la culture, one of France's leading arts centres, where he led the project to renovate the 1960s building.

He headed the national cultural commission's review of policy on jazz and improvised music and also led SYNDEAC, France's national syndicate of artistic and cultural companies.

In 2000, at the time Lionel Jospin was France's Prime Minister, he became a special adviser on the performing arts to the Ministry of Culture.

Subsequently he took charge of the Maison de la culture in Grenoble, which now holds the status of being France's leading performing space.

In 2012 he became director of creative arts at the Ministry of Culture and subsequently general inspector of cultural affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Communication.

Since 2016 he has been director of music and production at Radio France.