Henri Chalet Chorus master

Henri Chalet is Director and principal choir conductor at the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris since 2014, after having worked with Lionel Sow as assistant choir conductor. He graduated in composition and choir conducting from the Paris and Lyon Music Conservatoires and, between 2010 and 2017, he took over the Jeune Choeur de Paris. He succeeded at the musical direction of its founder, Laurence Equilbey, and to Geoffroy Jourdain, whom he was the assistant. Until 2011, he was artistic director of the Saint-Christophe de Javel Ensemble, with which he has made several recordings, including Duruflé’s Requiem and the premiere recording of Yves Castagnet’s Psaumes.

From 2011 to 2013, he has been coaching the choir of the Orchestre de Paris on a regular basis. With the Jeune chœur de Paris, he has recorded with Natalie Dessay, Karine Deshayes, Philippe Cassard, but also with Marie-Nicole Lemieux and the Orchestre national de France or Sabine Devieilhe and Les Ambassadeurs orchestra. With the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris, he conducted or prepared for high reputation invited conductors leading works of sacred music, including Monterverdi’s Virgin Vespers, Bach’s Matthaus Passion, Haydn’s Creation, Mozart’s Requiem, Brahm’s German Requiem, Beethoven’s Missa solemnis, Stravinsky’s Mass, Thierry Escaich’s Last Gospel, Philippe Hersant’s Vespers…

He thus collaborated with great conductors like Leonardo García Alarcón, Sir Roger Norrington, David Reiland, John Nelson, Sofi Jeannin, or Gustavo Dudamel. He has been invited as a guest conductor by prestigious institutions in France (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Opéra Comique, Orchestre national Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and worldwide (Amsterdam Muziekgebouw, Moscow Tchaikovsky Hall, Cambridge Clare College, Luxembourg Philharmon, Budapest Radio Choir, New-York Lincoln Center). Trained as a professional organist, he was one of the titular organists at the Church of Notre-Dame in Versailles until 2014. In 2020, Henri Chalet is made chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.