COLORE ARTISTS
The Other Shore
Orchestre National de Jazz
Appointed in March 2024 as Artistic Director of the National Jazz Orchestra, flutist and composer Sylvaine Hélary launches her project in June 2025 with a new 16-piece ensemble and a program dedicated to American composer Carla Bley. With Carla received critical acclaim from both the press and audiences at its Paris premiere on September 13 at Maison de la Radio.
Soon after, the ONJ unveils a second program for young audiences: La Planète Sauvage, a hybrid and immersive show inspired by René Laloux and Roland Topor’s 1973 sci-fi fable, itself freely adapted from Stefan Wul’s 1957 novel Oms en série.
In her first year as Artistic Director, Hélary has imagined two ambitious creations bringing together nearly thirty artists from across generations:
• With Carla, a joyful tribute to Carla Bley’s protean universe, celebrating this iconic and iconoclastic figure of jazz.
• La Planète Sauvage, a show for teenagers and adults alike, reimagining the cult 1973 animated film in an immersive production that merges cinema, music, and contemporary performance.
“I take on the artistic direction of the National Jazz Orchestra with great enthusiasm. This new chapter in my journey resonates with the ONJ’s history, while reinventing it and taking it into unexplored territories. This transition represents both continuity and a desire to amplify the aspirations of this unique institution.”
Sylvaine Hélary
A central figure of the European jazz scene, known for her insatiable curiosity, Sylvaine Hélary has long distinguished herself with a body of work at the crossroads of jazz, rock, chamber music, and experimental soundscapes. Her personal projects explore timbre and sonic combinations with a poetic sensibility, drawing inspiration as much from Emily Dickinson as from PJ Harvey.
She has collaborated with Steve Coleman, Marc Ducret, Sarah Murcia, the ONJ under Frédéric Maurin, Dominique A, and theater director Sylvain Creuzevault.
Appointed in March 2024 for a four-year mandate (renewable for two), Hélary begins her ONJ project in 2025. Alongside the ensemble’s artistic creations, educational and outreach work remains a cornerstone of the ONJ mission—particularly through initiatives aimed at young people, underrepresented audiences, and the representation of women in jazz.
Two long-term programs also continue to grow:
- The Youth Orchestra, currently led by pianist and composer Sophia Domancich with music by Didier Levallet, will welcome other past ONJ members and composers.
- The Composition Academy, fostering knowledge exchange in jazz composition and contemporary writing.
DIARY
- 09.11.2025 : With Carla – Festival Jazzdor - Cité de la Musique et de la Danse - Strasbourg (67)
- 10.11.2025 : With Carla – D’Jazz Nevers Festival - La Maison Nevers (58)
- 19.11.2025 : La Planète Sauvage – Malraux. Scène nationale Chambéry Savoie (73)
- 22.11.2025 : With Carla – Théâtre de Cornouaille. Scène Nationale de Quimper (29)
- 04.12.2025 : La Planète Sauvage – Festival Tous en Sons ! - La Criée - Marseille (13)
- 07.02.2026 : La Planète Sauvage – Festival Sons d’Hiver - Théâtre Antoine Vitez – Ivry-sur-Seine (94)
- 17.03.2026 : La Planète Sauvage – Théâtre Cinéma - Fontenay-le-Fleury (78)
Press talking about
JAZZ MAGAZINE Régal absolu !
CULTURE JAZZ On ne peut que se réjouir d’ouïr ce big band de luxe…
POINTBREAK L’orchestre sonne en plein. Il est de son temps, peut-être même en avance. Multi-genres, intergénérationnel, inclusif par nature. Aucun doute sur le fait que la meilleure façon d’honorer Carla Bley est de continuer à inventer, ensemble, dans un désordre joyeux.
REFERENCES
Maison de la Radio – JazzDor – Cité des Congrès – Scène Nationale de Quimper – Opéra de Dijon – D’jazz Nevers festival – Atlantique Jazz Festival
WITH CARLA
LA PLANÈTE SAUVAGE
