STRADIVARIA
At Stradivaria, we are fundamentally committed to historical practices:
The historical context, knowledge of the repertoire, organology, and musicological research are all necessary to understand and appreciate these works... but above all, it is their resonance today that interests us. This music, which comes to us from so far away, how can we keep it alive, how can we give it meaning? How can we best serve it, make it intelligible to an audience unfamiliar with this period codes?
This fascinating question is what drives us!
— guillaume CUILLER
Stradivaria explores the Baroque and Classical repertoire using a historically informed approach, working with musicians who specialize in playing on period instruments with curiosity and high standards.
Founded in 1987 by Daniel Cuiller, a pioneer of the Baroque revolution, Stradivaria has been directed since 2023 by oboist Guillaume Cuiller.
The orchestra's work focuses mainly on Baroque music and the repertoire for wind instruments from the late 18th century. Creating programs with varying numbers of performers, Stradivaria regularly invites soloists to share the stage: Benjamin Alard, Rachel Redmond, Paulin Bündgen, Mathias Vidal, and others.
©CLACK_RomainCharrier
©CLACK_RomainCharrier
Beyond the musicological aspect, it is above all in a desire to confront early music with today's world that the projects take on new forms, forging links with other disciplines and musical styles, in collaboration with personalities such as dancer and choreographer Ambra Senatore, composer Guillaume Connesson, and video artist Pierrick Sorin.
Based in Nantes since its inception, Stradivaria pays particular attention to its roots in the region. Since 2022, Les apartés—a series of candlelit concerts—has offered a unique experience to more than a thousand spectators each season. Around this project, the orchestra has developed its outreach educational program, giving concerts with commentary for schoolchildren and performances for senior residents of nursing homes, and has established a strong partnership with the Nantes Conservatory, working to promote transmission, social inclusion, providing this music for all.
Our latest album, Swingin' Partita, first album under Guillaume Cuiller's direction was released in January 2026 by Mirare. It is devoted to the wind repertoire of the 1800s, complemented by a commission from composer Guillaume Connesson, who wrote his own partita paying tribute to Viennese entertainment and the 1970s.
Stradivaria performs more than thirty concerts a year in various seasons and festivals in France and abroad and also has some thirty albums to its credit.