Founded in 1987 in order to bring back to life the great French repertoire played at the court of Versailles, the multi-award winning orchestra “Le Concert Spirituel”, under the baton of Hervé Niquet soon became one of the leading French early-music ensembles on period instruments (17th and 18th century). In this spirit, Le Concert Spirituel collaborates closely with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles and is devoted to airing the works of the great composers of French musical heritage, from Charpentier to Lully, by ways of Campra or Boismortier.

Guest in the most prestigious international concert halls (London’s Barbican Center and Wigmore Hall, the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Prom’s, the Luxemburg Philharmonie, Tokyo Opera, BOZAR in Brussels, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Shanghai Concert Hall, and Theater an der Wien), and in Paris each year at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Philharmonie de Paris and Palace of Versailles, Le Concert Spirituel has been awarded many times.

While Le Concert Spirituel specializes in French sacred music and is recognized the world over for its work on this repertoire, an important part of its activity is also devoted to lyrical music.
The ensemble unveiled works that received the most prestigious international awards : Marais's Sémélé was voted « Opera Recording of the Year » by the ECHO Klassik Awards in 2009, Grétry's Andromaque was awarded a “Grand Prix – Académie du disque Charles Cros” in 2010, and Campra’s Carnaval de Venise lately received the Supersonic Award and German Record Critic’s Award in 2011 (last recordings: Vogel’s Toison d’Or, Mozart’s Les Mystères d’Isis and Rameau’s Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour with Glossa).

Since June 2015, Le Concert Spirituel has an exclusive recording engagement with Alpha Classics. Been released: DVD Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse (Château de Versailles' collection), CD Vivaldi's Gloria/Magnificat, Cherubini and Plantade’s Requiems and Lully’s Persée (1770).

These musical adventures were also the opportunity to work with directors and choreographers as diverse as Gilles and Corinne Benizio (alias Shirley & Dino), Karol Armitage, Georges Lavaudant, Joachim Schloemer and Christian Schiaretti.

2017 engagements include Benevolo’s Mass, a new program, at the Festival de Radio France, Oude Muziek Festival Utrecht and Wratislavia Cantans ; a new tour Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse’s Boismortier at the Festival de Sablé-Sarthe, Sinfonia en Périgord, Théâtre de Thionville and the Opéra de Massy ; a new CD release: Handel’s Messiah (Alpha Classics) ; and for our 30th anniversary, “Un Opéra imaginaire” at the Festival de Radio France Occitanie Montpellier, Bozar, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Arsenal de Metz and the Château de Versailles.

Le Concert Spirituel is funded by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Paris.

Le Concert Spirituel thanks the donors of its Endowment Fund, especially SMA, donor for this season’s main staged production, and its individual donors of “Le Carré des Muses”.

Le Concert Spirituel is funded by its Principal Patrons: Mécénat Musical Société Générale and Fondation Bru.