Four decades of music, friendship, and community in La Neuveville.
Rétrospective 1985-2020
The three and a half decades of musical activity by the Ensemble Instrumental de La Neuveville have proven to be extremely rich and fascinating, and bear witness to a multitude of fruitful and exciting encounters. Unfortunately, we cannot relive here all the memories evoked by these thirty-five years of music and friendship: in addition to introducing the orchestra, here are simply a few lines we felt compelled to share with our dear audience, without whom the EIN would not be what it is today.
The EIN has produced countless and highly varied programs during its first 35 years: accompanying soloists and young talents, singers or musicians playing instruments as diverse as the harp, guitar, accordion, marimba, and pan flute; premiering new works, as well as performing film scores during screenings; all of which provided the Ensemble Neuvevillois with opportunities to convey emotions and share its passions with its audience through music.
La fondation en 1985
When our founding president recounts the origins and history of the EIN, she never fails to mention the stroke of good luck that has allowed the Ensemble Instrumental to keep moving forward and to meet the right people along the way. It was in 1985 that she decided, along with other musicians from the region, to found the Ensemble Instrumental de La Neuveville during an event to benefit the Blanche-Eglise, which was then undergoing major renovations.
The ensemble thus gave its first concert, performing Scarlatti’s Symphony in E minor, Bartók’s Four Little Dances, and Haydn’s Symphony No. 10. This debut performance led to further projects, and since then the EIN has given several concerts each year, both in La Neuveville and at other venues in the Jura, the Bernese Jura, and the canton of Neuchâtel.
The EIN’s existence is in fact closely tied to the Neuveville place of worship. In fact, the group performed there at the inauguration of the Blanche-Eglise in 1988, and has performed there several times a year ever since.
This building, which dates back more than a thousand years, has a unique and welcoming atmosphere and boasts a fascinating history that you can read about here.
10ème anniversaire
After ten years in existence, the EIN met with conductor Patrick Lehmann and put together two programmes to celebrate a decade of music and friendship in 1995, featuring, in particular, Beethoven’s Coriolan in June and a host of local soloists in December.
One project follows another, featuring soloists from here and abroad; in particular, the EIN accompanies Michel Tirabosco and his enchanting pan flute. The programs are varied, original, and always captivating.
The concerts celebrating the 20th anniversary are no exception: the program spans eras and genres, featuring Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor, performed by the wonderful Denitsa Kazakova, as well as the moving The Story of Babar, composed by François Poulenc based on Jean Brunhoff’s text for young and old alike, read for the occasion by actress Mariane Finazzi.
1In 2007, after 12 years at the helm of the EIN, Patrick Lehmann handed the reins to the young and wonderfully talented Jean-Claude Picard. Thanks to his immense musical and personal qualities, he inspired the Ensemble and all the musicians to strive for great precision and a new musicality. Both spirited and distinguished, bold and warm, deeply human, and above all, unfailingly optimistic, he led the Ensemble for six years that proved extremely enriching—not only for the musicians but also for its audience, who faithfully attended the performances at the Blanche-Eglise, often “packed to the rafters.” A Spanish program sets the stage for the EIN’s 25th anniversary, featuring Falla’s Ritual Dance of Fire, Edouard Lalo’s Spanish Symphony, performed by violinist Caroline Baeriswyl, and Ravel’s iconic Boléro.
In 2013, Jean-Claude Picard was appointed assistant conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. It is with a touch of sadness, but above all with pride and joy, that the EIN watches its exceptional conductor head off to Glasgow to pursue an international career that is gaining momentum.
That same year, he was admitted through a competitive entrance exam to a master’s program in conducting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. He therefore handed over the reins of the EIN to Stefan Iliescu, who was tasked with conducting the three remaining concerts celebrating the ensemble’s three decades.
We must emphasize here that we would be nothing without our first president, Claudine Perrenoud, who received the La Neuveville Cultural Merit Award in May 2015. It was she who, from the very founding of the Ensemble Instrumental and for thirty years, encouraged us to build connections and give our very best. She established and expanded the Ensemble Instrumental’s influence in La Neuveville and the surrounding area, and in the hearts of the public. She is far too humble to admit it, but she is indeed the guiding star watching over the Ensemble Instrumental de La Neuveville. Claudine Perrenoud stepped down as president in 2015, succeeded by another well-known and much-loved resident of La Neuveville, Pierre Louis.
Le Covid-19 à 35 ans
From 2017 to 2019, the EIN was led by Jérôme Faller, who brought to life original concerts brimming with wit and humor, yet also featuring deeply moving and poignant moments, with renowned soloists such as Janka Szomor-Mekis (viola), Sébastien Singer (cello), Michaela Paetsch (violin), and Vital Julian Frey (harpsichord). Jérôme builds his programs around fascinating themes such as the 333rd anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach, forgers in music, or dedications, on the occasion of which we premiered a piece written by the Swiss-Egyptian composer Nehad El-Sayed, dedicated to the EIN: Au-delà du Temps.
Following these two very fruitful years under Jérôme Faller’s leadership, Olivier Membrez—a multi-talented musician well-known to the residents of Neuveville—took over as director of the EIN at the end of 2019.
As the EIN prepared to celebrate its 35th anniversary in May 2020 with a program centered on Venice, the health crisis linked to Covid-19 forced the orchestra to cancel rehearsals and concerts for the first half of 2020. The EIN decided to publish the poster planned for this program anyway.
The entire cultural community—indeed, the whole world—has been shaken by the unprecedented health crisis of spring 2020. The EIN is biding its time and preparing to resume rehearsals and concerts as quickly as possible, but as slowly as necessary.
Despite this forced hiatus, the Ensemble Instrumental would like to take this opportunity to thank its loyal and enthusiastic audience, all those who come to share precious moments of music and passion, as well as the musicians, soloists, members, and conductors who have shaped the first 35 years of its existence.