Organ music - French Army Choir & Yohann VEXO

Johannes Brahms: Geistiches Lied

Louis Vierne: Symphony No. 2 - Allegro

Maurice Duruflé: Messe Cum Jubilo - Kyrie - Gloria

Randall Thompson: The last words of David

Maurice Duruflé: Messe Cum Jubilo - Sanctus - Benedictus

Jehan Alain: Fantasie No. 2

Traditional Georgian hymn: Shen Xhar

Jehan Alain: Prayer for us other carnals

Maurice Duruflé: Messe Cum Jubilo - Agnus dei 

Maurice Duruflé: Varied chorale on Veni Creator

John Rutter: Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace

A special formation of the Republican Guard, the French Army Choir is the official choir of the Republic. Created in 1982, this choir, made up of forty singers, is the only professional men's choir in France. It is directed by Lieutenant-Colonel Aurore Tillac and her deputy, Commander Émilie Fleury, both graduates of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris and Lyon respectively.

The choir performs at official events, notably in the presence of the President of the Republic, both in France and abroad. The choir also performs in musical seasons and at festivals.

The French Army Choir collaborates with numerous orchestras: the Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Orchestre de Paris, the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the Republican Guard Orchestra... led by conductors, such as Yutaka Sado, Daniele Gatti, Mikko Franck, Pierre Boulez...

The choir also collaborates on mixed choir projects, for example with the vocal ensemble Sequenza 9.3, or, for Donizetti's La Fille du Régiment, alongside the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris women’s choir, conducted by Hervé Niquet.

After several critically acclaimed and award-winning recordings, in 2019 the French Army Choir is devoting an album to songs of Paris (Brel, Aznavour, Gainsbourg...). Recorded on the Warner Classics label with the Republican Guard Orchestra, Paris, Je t'aime won the Classique d'or RTL award upon its release.
 

Émilie FLEURY, Choir master

After commencing her musical training at the Besançon Conservatoire (violin, composition and analysis), Émilie Fleury turned to singing and choral conducting. Alongside her musical studies, she joined the choral conducting class of Bernard Tétu, Nicole Corti and Valérie Fayet at the CNSMD, graduating in 2005.

Holder of a State Diploma in Vocal Ensemble Conducting, in 2004 she was asked to conduct the Maîtrise de l'Opéra de Lyon, and is currently in charge of the children's choir and the Young Ensemble of the Maîtrise de Notre-Dame de Paris. She has been assistant French Army Choir master since 2008, holding the rank of Major.

Johann VEXO, organ

Johann Vexo, born in Nancy in 1978, is a French organist.

Currently titular of the Great Organ at Nancy Cathedral, he was also the substitute organist for the Notre-Dame de Paris choir from 2004 to 2019, playing at the time of the cathedral fire on 15 April 2019.

Johann Vexo studied organ with Christophe Mantoux, ancient music with Martin Gester and harpsichord with Aline Zylberajch at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg, where he was awarded first prize for organ.

He continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris with Michel Bouvard and Olivier Latry for organ, and Thierry Escaich and Philippe Lefebvre for improvisation. He has won several awards, including first prize for organ, first prize for basso continuo, and prizes for harmony and counterpoint.

Appointed assistant organist at the Choir Organ of Notre-Dame de Paris at the age of 25, Johann Vexo has also been titular of the Cavaillé-Coll organ at Nancy Cathedral since 2009 (where he played alongside Pierre Cortellezzi until his death in 2015), and teaches organ at the Conservatoire and the Académie Supérieure de Musique in Strasbourg.

A guest at numerous international festivals, Johann Vexo performs in Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Russia. As a soloist or with orchestra, he has performed in Atlanta, Auckland, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Montreal, Moscow, New York, Porto, Riga and Vienna, in venues such as Philadelphia's Wanamaker Grand Court, Washington's National Shrine, Lucerne's KKL, Sydney's St Mary's Cathedral and the Yekaterinburg Philharmonic.

Johann Vexo has also been invited to teach organ in master classes for the American Guild of Organists, as well as at Rice University (Houston), the Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia), Westminster Choir College (Princeton) and the University of Aveiro (Portugal). He has made several recordings on historic French instruments, including one on the Great Organ of Notre-Dame de Paris.