Whoever feels penetrated by a true love for his art can fear nothing" prophesied George Sand in her novel Consuelo (1843). Victor Julien-Laferrière has made this audacity and ambition his own, and in 2021 created an orchestra of the same name. This romantic heroine, Consuelo, resembling the renowned Pauline Viardot, embodies the universal aspiration of young generations of artists to explore diverse musical repertoires, to experience the joys of creation, to build their own path.

Winner of the 2017 Queen Elisabeth Competition, the cellist Victor Julien-Laferrière has developed in himself a conductor nourished by chamber music. Around the Romantic repertoire and this long-dreamed-of orchestral project, which is more of a creative community for his generation, he has united a team of artists sharing the same ideas and musical ideology. They join forces to express their musical imagination and find the best sound. The orchestra's ambition is to become a stepping-stone for artists between the ages of 20 and 30, launched on an international solo, chamber or orchestral career and looking for an experience that offers them the artistic freedom and intimacy of chamber music along with the expansive spirit of orchestral performances.

Consuelo, inspired by its muse, desires to exist in its own era and environment, all the while actively participating in a dynamic musical existence. The orchestra is based in Sens, Burgundy, with a residency spanning the whole season, aimed at enriching a region that has been under-resourced in terms of music (mediation, masterclasses, festival). The future of the orchestra lies in its adaptability, repertoire and formats, all the while maintaining the belief that music serves to provide audiences with the opportunity to dream and be emotionally stirred.

Consuelo performed at renowned festivals in France: Festival de la Chaise-Dieu, Festival de la Roque d'Anthéron, Variations Classiques d'Annecy, Festival de l'Epau, and abroad at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad and Les Athénéennes de Genève. 

In 2024, the orchestra will make its debut at the Rocamadour Festival and the Besançon-Franche-Comté Festival.

In recent and upcoming seasons, orchestra's engagements include concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Halle aux Grains in Toulouse, Opéra de Vichy and at the Festival de Música dos Capuchos in Portugal.

In parallel with its stage activities, the Orchestre Consuelo has a rich discography. Its first CD, devoted to Johannes Brahms' Serenades, was released under the label Mirare in 2023.

2024 will see the release of the first CD of the complete Beethoven symphonies for the B.Records label, in co-production with the Festival de la Chaise-Dieu.

In 2025, Tchaikovsky's Orchestral Suites no. 1 and no. 2 will be released under the label Mirare.

Orchestre Consuelo carries out its projects with the support of Caisse des Dépôts, its main sponsor. The orchestra also receives support from its Cercle des amis, Centre National de la Musique, Fonpeps, Adami and Spedidam.