A modern orchestra, an adventure like no other.
With the Free Spirit Ensemble, Ibrahim Maalouf embarks on an ambitious adventure, a French initiative with an international scope: the creation of a classical orchestra mostly dedicated to improvisation. The renowned trumpeter, composer, and pedagogue is staying true to his roots in this constant mission to create a bond in between styles, always shaking things up, he intends to redefine the conventional definition of classical work, with an innovative way to interpret it.

With one foot set in tradition, and the other one in innovation, this orchestra brings together the best classical orchestras musicians of our time. A 2.0 ensemble reuniting women and men inventing and creating their own music born out of the classical music language, all of this playing live, and for the first time in classical music history.

Indeed, never in the history of classical music, such a challenge has been attempted.

All the musicians of the Free Spirit Ensemble share an ideal vision, based on excellence, breaking barriers, and the irrepressible need to create and invent a new musical proposition, so-called classical, but modern.

A Free Spirits’ Classical Orchestra

With no conductor during the improvisation, it breaks away from the normative codes. There is no requirement, for example, to stay in a special configuration set in centuries of tradition, that surely proved its value, as in certain settings to play Mozart or Prokofiev, but happens to be quite unnecessary for improvisation.

The orchestra will have total freedom of mind and body, to create pieces, far from the prohibitions, protocols, and conventions. The element of surprise and game will be constant.