Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Since its formation in 1981, the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine (OCNA), formerly the Orchestre Poitou-Charentes (OPC), has offered a specific format of forty-five to fifty musicians that is suited to the most varied and adventurous repertories, from Mozart and Haydn to the creation of contemporary works.

Placed under the artistic direction of the conductor and pianist Jean-François Heisser since 2000, the orchestra has honed its style through a bold programming policy. its unanimously acknowledged musical quality enables it regularly to invite the leading soloists of the day, among them Nicholas Angelich, Renaud Capuçon, Bertrand Chamayou, Augustin Dumay, David Guerrier, Gary Hoffman, vincent Peirani, François Salque, Nemanja Radulović, xavier de Maistre and Marc Coppey. The OCNA’s identity has also been built on guest appearances by well-known conductors such as Marek Janowski, François-xavier Roth, Arie van Beek, Louis Langrée, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Jean-François verdier, Fayçal Karoui and xu Zhong. Nevertheless, the rising generation of young conductors is extremely well represented too, with recent appearances from Marzena Diakun, Nicolas Simon, Adrien Perruchon and Dylan Corlay. The mission of discovering new talents provides moments of musical pleasure shared by audiences and musicians alike.

This itinerant orchestra, in residence at the Théâtre Auditorium de Poitiers, has close links to its territory and is present in both large towns and even the smallest local communities. Although Poitiers is its home base, it has also forged firm links with the leading Parisian venues – the Opéra Comique, the Cité de la Musique, Radio France, La Seine Musicale, Les Bouffes du Nord – and the major festivals – La Roque d’Anthéron, Saintes, the Festival Berlioz, the Festival Messiaen, the Abbaye de l’Épau and La Folle Journée.

On the occasion of the inaugural concert of the first Festival Ravel en Nouvelle Aquitaine, the orchestra – previously known as the Orchestre Poitou-Charentes – was renamed Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The OCNA is determined to offer music to the largest possible number of people in its home region, and at the heart of its philosophy lies a social and community commitment that stimulates interaction with new audiences and the young generation. in its ambition to make so-called ’art’ music accessible to all, it can lay claim to a rich and innovative outreach programme combining musical practice and encounters with the artists and the works.

its original and ambitious recording policy, channelled through an exclusive agreement with the Mirare label, opens a new chapter in 2017 with the present release of the complete Beethoven piano concertos directed from the keyboard by Jean-François Heisser.

Jean-François Heisser
The pianist, conductor and pedagogue Jean-François Heisser is the heir to the teaching of Vlado Perlemuter, Henriette Puig-Roget and Maria Curcio. He himself taught the piano from 1991 to 2016 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris. Among his noted students are Bertrand Chamayou and Jean-Frédéric Neuburger.

As a soloist, he has played under the direction of the foremost conductors, among them Marek Janowski, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leif Segerstam, Emmanuel Krivine, Zubin Mehta, Michel Plasson and François-Xavier Roth, with orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischer Rundfunks, the Orchestre National de France and Les Siècles. His solo recitals show a predilection for Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, and Spanish and French composers. In addition to the mainstream repertory, he champions twentieth-century works and contemporary creation.

As a chamber musician, he has performed the entire repertory with such partners as the Ysaÿe, Lindsay and Pražák Quartets. In addition, he is particularly committed to the four-hand and two-piano repertory and remains one of the most sought-after duo partners for both established artists and the younger generation.

Since 2001, as its music director, he has developed the project of the Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle-Aquitaine, which he has brought to the forefront of French chamber orchestras. Their recording of the complete Beethoven piano concertos was recently released on Mirare.

In the field of artistic direction, he is in charge of programming the Soirées Musicales d’Arles and is artistic advisor to the Festival de l’Orangerie de Sceaux, President of the Académie internationale Maurice Ravel and artistic director of the Festival Ravel en Nouvelle-Aquitaine.