The ‘from scratch’ or sing-along is a CHORAL CONCERT where all are invited to sing: individual choristers and whole choirs. The organising institution chooses the score, reserves the venue and recruits the conductor, orchestra and professional soloists. The singers buy their seats, learn the score beforehand and rehearse wherever they can. On D-day they convene at the meeting place and sing together.
The concert may be in a small or large venue – a village church or the Royal Albert Hall in London and unites a handful of singers or 5 000 people.
Unforgettable!
A choral concert
IN Paris
FOR THE BENEFIT OF MEDICAL RESEARCH ON MENTAL DISORDERS
TWO DAYS TOGETHER
ONE REHEARSAL
HANDEL’S
messiah
voluntary professional musicians
volunteers
amateur singers
A CHORAL CONCERT IN PARIS
FOR THE BENEFIT OF MEDICAL RESEARCH ON MENTAL DISORDERS
JUNE 21-21, 2026
TWO DAYS TOGETHER
ONE REHEARSAL
HANDEL’S MESSIAH
VOLUNTARY PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS
VOLUNTEERS
AMATEUR SINGERS
Singing with other people creates bonds. Contributing to Medical Research on Mental Disorders means supporting those for whom communication is fundamental but made difficult by a mental disorder. A real challenge nowadays when I person out of 4 will suffer during their lifetime from a mental disorder: schizophrenia, bi-polarity, deep depression, autism.
In this 2026 edition, the proceeds from the concert will be donated to the Institut Pasteur to fund the bold and innovative participatory research project CONTEXT conducted with the Institut du Cerveau de l’Enfant on autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Venite Cantemus promotes exchange and sharing for the benefit of a cause, bonding with people whose handicap or a disorder affects their ability to communicate, therefore preventing interaction with others in their social or family environment.
The Covid 19 pandemic has shown the importance of social bonds and communication between people. This situation has reaffirmed Venite Cantemus commitment to these values has been reinforced by this situation.
Mental disorders: autism; schizophrenia; bi-polarity; depression affect 1 in 4 person in their lifetime. These disorders tend to appear before the age of 25 making it difficult and painful for those affected to interact and bond with others in their close and wider social circles.
It is also public health matter.
My ticket purchase contributes to medical research into mental disorders.
I reserve meals, tours, accommodation thanks to Venite Cantemus’s offers -coming soon- or I make my own arrangements. I plan my transport.
Saturday, June 20, 2026 – Venue to be confirmed
If I wish I can visit Paris with Venite Cantemus, share meals with other singers. I can be accommodated in a Parisian home.
Sunday, June 21, 2026 at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
June 20 and 21, 2026
Saturday June 20 – CHORISTERS – :
General rehearsal (venue to be confirmed)
Sunday June 21 – ALL – :
Concert at Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Standard singers and audience: 45€
Under 26 years old: 20€
Benefactor – THANK YOU! -: 65€
Gildas loves a challenge and has bounds of energy.
He will conduct the Venite Cantemus orchestra and choir for the fourth time to everyone’s delight.
Born in Orléans in 1974, Gildas Harnois trains as a flautist and organist at the Conservatories of Orléans and Boulogne-Billancourt.
Winner of the Concours National for Young Organists at Saint-Germain-des-Fossés in 2000, he is the titular organist at the Sainte-Croix Cathedral in Orléans since 1997 and performs in concerts with various formations (Festivals at Roquevaire, Agde, Orléans, Tours, Blois, Paris (Saint-Joseph-des-Nations’ church and the Val-de-Grâce church)).
He obtains his diploma from the Centre National Supérieur de Musique in Paris in analysis and orchestral direction and he studies at the Hochschule in Vienna in 2003 where he wins the competition for Young Conductors organised by the Chamber of Zurich that same year. Appointed Head Assistant to Jésus Lopez-Cobos and then to Jean-Claude Casadesus with the French Youth Orchestra in 2004 and 2005, he also works beside Alain Altinoglu, Lawrence Foster and Ton Koopman.
He is invited to direct the Orléans Symphonic Orchestra, the Republican Guard Symphonic Orchestra , an ensemble of the Lyon National Orchestra, the Auvergne Chamber Music Orchestra, the Dusseldorf Autumn Festival Orchestra, the Lithuanian Symphonic Orchestra and the Zurich Chamber Music Orchestra.
On 1st July 2014 he is appointed Head of the Police Orchestra and is today Director of this excellent formation in the most prominent Parisian concert halls, in France and abroad (Japan) and has made two recordings, the second in 2019, the Maîtres Sorciers, which is devoted to young French composers.
Amongst his projects as conductor in 2021-2022, a creation by Julien Joubert with soloists, adult and youth choirs for the Jeanne d’Arc Festival in Orléans, a new and original production of Gluck’s Orphée and Eurydice with the Musique de Joye Ensemble as well as an exceptional rendez-vous with 800 Venite Cantemus singers and orchestra around Handel’s Messiah in the Théâtre du Châtelet in Parisé
Young, talented and generous…
Originally from Brittany and recently awarded a Master’s degree in Lyric Art from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse de Paris (class of Elène Golgevit), Kaëlig Boché is also awarded from several competitions (ADAMI, Concours International de Mélodies Françaises de Toulouse, Concours International de chant de Marseille, Concours de Mâcon); he was quickly spotted as one of the most promising tenor among the new generation.
Dividing his time between opera and recitals, his young career has already led him to perform on the opera stages of Lyon, Muscat (Oman), Saint-Étienne, Nancy, Dijon, Montpellier, alongside the Orchestre régional de Normandie (Illuminations by Britten, Coronation Mass by Mozart, Schubert’s Lieder), the Orchestre de Massy (Britten’s Serenade for horn, tenor and strings), the Orchestre national des Pays de la Loire (Honegger’s Le Roi David), or with the pianists Célia Oneto-Bensaid, Jeanne Vallée, Thomas Tacquet, Sébastien Joly, Tanguy de Williencourt and Adam Laloum.
Sophie Pondjiclis studied music at the CNSM in Paris and at the Ecole d’art lyrique of the Paris Opera. She was awarded first prize at the Toti dal Monte International Singing Competition in Treviso, Italy.
A leading figure on the international stage, she happily performs repertoires as diverse as they are varied. Her flamboyant temperament and the warmth of her voice make her an accomplished artist that we never tire of admiring, with more than seventy roles in her repertoire, performed on the greatest international opera stages such as La Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera, Geneva, Hong Kong, Brussels, Berlin, Munich, Beijing, London and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, among others…
Very involved in the training of young singers, she is co-founder and artistic director of the “Académie Internationale d’Art Lyrique”.
Sophie Pondjiclis is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres.
The Belgian baritone Nabil Suliman studied at the Damascus Conservatory (Syria) and at the Opera Studio in Brussels.
He won the International Competition of the Capitole de Toulouse and the First Prize of MEZZO Television, and sang the roles of Sourine/Dame de Pique, Cabaretier/L’Ange de Feu (Brussels), Michele/Il Tabarro (Maastricht), Bill/Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny (Nancy, Luxembourg), Escamillo/Carmen (Athens), Falke/Die Fledermaus (Amsterdam), Satan/Paradise Lost (Wroclaw), Lord Ruthven/Der Vampyr (Szeged), Lasky/Le Roi malgré lui (Lyon,Opéra-Comique), Boris/Moskva Tcheryomushki (Lyon), Johann/Werther (Tokyo,Lyon), Chamberlain/Rossignol (Aix-en Provence, Lyon, Châtelet, Quebec), Melot/Tristan und Isolde (Madrid), Einäugige/Die Frau ohne Schatten (Antwerp), Thésée/Oedipe d’Enesco (Brussels), Duc d’Albe (Antwerp), Monterone/Rigoletto (Alden Biesen), Ctéssipe/Pénélope (Brussels), Count Oscar, Henker, Hessels/Der Schmied von Gent (Antwerp).
The soprano Tatiana Probst, a graduate of the CNSM in Paris, wins several prizes in various international competitions.
In 2015 she sings the role of Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème at the Opéra de Reims. Then she plays Micaëla in Carmen at the Rabat Opera, Nuit Magique (a tribute concert to Henri Dutilleux) with Marc Minkowski at the “Ré Majeure” Festival before taking part in the 29th edition of Violon sur le Sable in Royan in July.
She sings the roles of Mimi in La Bohème and Nadia in La Veuve Joyeuse, and participates in La Folie Offenbach, a programme filmed for France 3 at the Folies Bergère.
In 2019, she sings the role of Javotte in Manon at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (alongside Nino Machaidze and Juan Diego Florez) as well as Papagena in Die Zauberflöte at the Opéra de Lille, in Romeo Castellucci’s new production and plays her first Pamina.
A passionate orchestra with no limits, a committed orchestra
Founded in 2017, Ondes plurielles was born of the desire of musicians from various Parisian amateur orchestras to create an ensemble with an open outlook. From chamber music to symphony orchestra, from baroque to contemporary creation, via opera and the great symphonic repertoire, Ondes plurielles explores a wide range of styles without limits.
Encounter and sharing are at the heart of its identity. Each programme is a unique adventure, and Ondes Plurielles forges links with festivals, emblematic venues and other artistic ensembles to constantly broaden its horizons. This quest for diversity goes hand in hand with uncompromising musical standards, striking a balance between rigour and freedom.
As you will have gathered, Ondes plurielles and Venite Cantemus share the same values and the same high artistic standards. What’s more, you’ll find our favourite conductors and some of our loyal musicians here.
What they say:
“To be invited to join such a charity event is always a deep emotional moment for a musician. Talent for music is a gift, a blessing for the artist receiving it, but also a great responsibility, in particular when you play for a generous cause , in favour of those who suffer or are in need..We witnessed this every time we asked a musician to join us on this project: the “yes” is immediate, enthusiastic and generous. To all, thank you!”
Gilles Lefèvre, lead violin- Solo violin in the Orchestre Symphonique d’Orleans.
Philippe Bary, lead cellist-cellist in the Orchestre de l’Opera de Paris, teacher at Conservatoire National supérieur de Musique in Paris.
A recognised public interest foundation, created by decree in 1887 on the initiative of Louis Pasteur, the Institut Pasteur is now an internationally renowned biomedical research centre. To carry out its mission dedicated to the fight against disease in France and around the world, the Institut Pasteur develops its activities in four areas: research, public health, training and the development of research applications.
A recognised world leader in the field of infectious diseases, microbiology and immunology, its work also focuses on brain connectivity disorders, particularly autism.
Within the Institut Pasteur’s Neuroscience Department, the Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions Unit, headed by Professor Thomas Bourgeron, brings together psychiatrists, neuroscientists and geneticists to understand autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and improve their management.
Professor Thomas Bourgeron is particularly renowned for his work in identifying the first autism gene in 2003.
Created in 2021 and certified as a University Hospital Institute (IHU) in 2023, the Institut du Cerveau de l’Enfant brings together representatives of children and families, researchers, doctors, internationally recognised healthcare professionals and economic stakeholders around a common cause: children, their cognitive development and their vulnerabilities.
The Institut du Cerveau de l’Enfant’s mission is to understand the biology of the developing brain, how our brain learns, and to act on atypical developmental trajectories and the consequences of brain damage on developmental processes, in order to improve the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
The Institut Pasteur and the Institut du Cerveau de l’Enfant work closely together on the genetics of autism.
The aim of this project is to create a common knowledge base on the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and diversity, and then to establish participatory research projects in this field. The project aims to promote multidisciplinary, translational and participatory research in order to collaboratively advance the field of NDDs.
Currently, research on NDDs is mainly conducted without the perspective and expertise of those directly affected.
CONTEXT aims to include those affected in the research by enabling them to actively contribute to the design and implementation of the research, as well as its dissemination.
CONTEXT brings together people diagnosed with NDDs, families of people with NDDs and academic researchers in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, genetics, neuroscience, epidemiology, social sciences, and human resource management.
Having begun his research investigating mitochondria in plants and neurological diseases, Thomas Bourgeron discovered the first genetic variations associated with autism highlighting the main role of the contacts between nerve cells (the synapses) in this complex condition. His laboratory gathers psychiatrists, neuroscientists, and geneticists to understand the interplay between common and rare variants in autism. His current projects integrate participative research involving autistic individuals and the families and are focused on multiscale analyses including genetics, brain imaging and data on the functioning and quality of life of the individuals. He is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and the recipient of numerous prizes (e.g., Jean Valade from the Fondation de France 2024, Prize, Kanner-Asperger medal 2024, Duquesne Prize 2023, Roger De Spoelberch Prize 2020; IPSEN Prize for Neuronal Plasticity 2015). His aim is to provide knowledge-based discoveries for a better diagnostic, care, and inclusion of individuals with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders.
