The creation of the Liberati ensemble



The originality of this ensemble (choir and orchestra) is that it is a “liberated” orchestra that operates without a conductor and in a self-managed way.

The idea was born in 2022 under the impetus of Saskia Salembier, Marc Meisel and Benjamin Alard, following a historically informed reflection on the place of the conductor in Baroque music, largely inherited from a 19th-century vision of music and ultimately quite distant from the practices of the period, if the existing sources on the subject are to be believed.

An initial creative residency supported by Tribunes Baroques (Switzerland) took place in 2022 in Porrentruy, based on Handel's Messiah, with an orchestra and choir as close as possible to the period's numbers and spatial layout: musicians arranged in a line rather than in a circle, choir placed in front, as close as possible to the audience, organ in the gallery.  The idea grew and grew, and many musicians joined the project to create an orchestra that was not only conductorless on stage, but also self-managed in its administrative structure.

Since February 2025, the group has operated in several decision-making circles, where each artist can take initiatives developed within the collective. Everything is decided, supported and structured collectively, according to principles inspired by holacratic societies and liberated companies: in short, an artistic, human and political project!
The aim is to develop a collective intelligence through the interconnection between the artists: this implies attentive listening, mutual trust and individual responsibility in the service of the group. Upstream research work, carried out with the coaches, opens up more possibilities and more freedom, enhancing the talents of each musician.

After a new creative residency in April 2025 in Porrentruy based on Handel's Judas Maccabaeus, we are now taking up Messiah, which we staged in 2022, for 3 summer dates: the first date was in Halle, Germany, as part of the Handel Festival in June, and we will be performing it twice this summer: - on 25 July at 9pm at the Beaune Festival (Côte d'Or) - on 1 August at 9pm at the musical hours of Lessay Abbey (Manche)