Orchestre Démos Lyon Métropole

The Orchestre Démos Lyon Métropole, which has been deployed since 2017 by the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon across the Lyon Metropolitan Area, is off to a fresh start. Following the successful first edition, the project has been renewed and expanded: it now consists of two orchestras and involves 160 children from the metropolitan area.

THE PROJECT

Démos is a socially-oriented musical and orchestral outreach programme initiated and coordinated over the past 10 years by the Cité de la musique-Philharmonie de Paris. It is designed for children between the ages of 7 and 12, living in the municipalities of Bron, Décines-Charpieu, Givors, Lyon, Saint-Genis-Laval, Villeurbanne and Vaulx-en-Velin, and who have never learnt to play music.

 
The Démos teaching method is underpinned by a multifaceted approach to music. The underlying principles are singing, dancing and speaking. Each child in the Orchestre Démos Lyon Métropole is lent an instrument of his/her choice, free of charge. The children rehearse in small groups for three and a half hours a week, mainly outside school hours, in the social organisation they usually attend. All of the children in the orchestra come together every six weeks to work with the orchestra’s conductor. At the end of each year, the children in the Orchestre Démos give a free concert in the Lyon Auditorium, which their families and all of the partners are welcome to attend. At the end of the three-year cycle, the children perform on the prestigious stage of the Philharmonie de Paris concert hall.

SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL IMPACT

By underscoring the key role that music can and must play in society, Démos addresses a range of issues, including regional development, social integration, artistic education and access to culture. In this project, music is an effective educational tool that proposes to attain excellence and acquire demanding standards from an individual viewpoint, but also in a collective sense. The orchestra enables the project’s supervisors, whether they are musicians or social workers, to work with the children over extended periods of time and to develop their concentration, ability to listen, and respect for others. At the end of the project’s three-year initial phase, 60% of the children continue to learn music in the music school or the conservatory in their home district.

Following the successful first edition, the project’s stakeholders and partners were keen to continue, and rolled out the scheme. The towns of Bron, Décines-Charpieu, Givors, Lyon and Vaulx-en-Velin are accordingly extending their involvement. The towns of Saint-Genis-Laval and Villeurbanne are, in turn, joining the scheme. 

Accordingly, two new Démos orchestras are being set up! The Presto and Vivo orchestras, each comprised of five groups of children, began in October 2021. 

Vivo orchestra: comprised of 80 children from the municipalities of Bron, Décines-Charpieu, Lyon 8th arrondissement and Vaulx-en-Velin
Presto orchestra: comprised of 82 children from the municipalities of Givors, Lyon 3rd arrondissement, Saint-Genis-Laval and Villeurbanne
 

3e édition (2025-2028)

Orchestres Lyon Métropole «Réseau Démos» - 3e édition

2025-2028 > Découvrez la 3ème édition.

SECOND EDITION (2021-2024)

Orchestres Démos Lyon Métropole - 2ème édition

2021-2024 > Découvrez la 2ème édition.

FIRST EDITION (2017-2020)

Orchestre Démos Lyon Métropole - First Edition

En septembre 2017, l’Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon et de nombreux partenaires sociaux artistiques et éducatifs se sont lancés dans l’aventure DÉMOS et ont constitué l’Orchestre Démos Lyon Métropole.

CORPORATE PARTNERS AND SPONSORS

Démos trouve sa force dans un réseau solide de partenaires. Outre l’engagement des villes participantes : Lyon, Bron, Décines-Charpieu, Saint-Genis-Laval, Grigny-sur-Rhône, Saint-Fons, Villeurbanne, Vaulx-en-Velin et des opérateurs sociaux et musicaux des territoires, il est soutenu à l’échelle métropolitaine par la Préfecture du Rhône, la Métropole de Lyon, la Caisse d’allocations familiales du Rhône. Un groupe de mécènes engagés soutiennent également financièrement le dispositif et rendent son déploiement possible : Byblos, Fondation Banque Populaire Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, Clasquin et la Fondation Les Notaires Engagés du Rhône.

La MJC Duchère (Lyon 9ème), le Centre social des Etats-Unis (Lyon 8ème), le Centre social Bonnefoi et la MPT des Rancy (Lyon 3ème), le Mixcube (Saint-Genis-Laval), les Centres sociaux arcs en ciel (Saint-Fons), le Centre social la Ferrandière (Villeurbanne), le Centre social Grand Vire (Vaulx-en-Velin), le Centre social Gérard Philipe (Bron), l’Ecole nationale de musique de Villeurbanne, le Conservatoire de Lyon (Lyon), le Centre socio-culturel L’Agora, les Écoles municipales de musique de Saint-Fons et Feyzin, l’Harmonie La Glaneuse (Bron), la MJC de Bron, l’Harmonie Décinoise, l’Ecole des arts de Vaulx-en-Velin, le Centre musical et artistique et l’Association musicale de Saint-Genis-Laval.

Coordonné par la Philharmonie de Paris, Démos est soutenu par le ministère de la Culture, le ministère de l'Aménagement du territoire et de la Décentralisation via l'Agence nationale de la cohésion des territoires (ANCT), le ministère des Outre-mer, le ministère de l’Éducation nationale, et les caisses d’allocations familiales. À ce financement s’ajoute celui des collectivités territoriales impliquées, qui accueillent les orchestres. Le projet est soutenu par de nombreux mécènes - entreprises, fondations, donateurs individuels. Il est parrainé par Lilian Thuram, Président de la Fondation Éducation contre le racisme, par la pianiste Khatia Buniatishvili, et par le philosophe Souleymane Bachir Diagne.

Twenty years of cultural initiatives

For nearly 20 years, the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon has been offering a wide variety of projects, through its cultural initiatives, to experience music to the full.

Musical creation workshops

In the Musical Creation Workshops – a flagship initiative of the Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon – collective music making and a personal experience of the world of the orchestra are the focus of a long-term project.

Sound Workshops

The Sound Workshops are designed to give everyone an opportunity to explore and play music together.

Partnership with the leisure activities organised before and after school

The Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon is a partner in the leisure activities organised in primary schools before and after school, coordinated by the City of Lyon’s education department.

Community initiatives

The Auditorium-Orchestre national de Lyon is committed to helping underprivileged regions and the most fragile people.