The Ile de France Children’s Choir is actually Francis Bardot’s Children’s Choir and as such can get the benefit of the forty-year-long experience of a choir specialist who is also a renowned tenor. For a quarter of a century, he was responsible for the Opera and the Orchestre de Paris children’s choirs. He also used to be the Chartres Cathedral choir master and gave master classes at the University of California and at the Beijing National Conservatoire.
The choir is composed of two equal groups of boys and girls who can sing together or separately according to the repertoire. As pupils of the Conservatoire whose former director was their conductor, they get individualized musical and vocal training.
The choir is led by a former teacher of Ancient Languages who is also a Professor at the Higher School of Pedagogy with the help of his wife Martine. The choir is essentially based on global education for boys and girls attending children’s choir whose “motto” is that “it is made for them and not the opposite”.
This project starts with musical excellence. Francis Bardot’s children’s choirs are well known for their specific vocal color and since 1970 they have sung with the greatest international conductors and opera singers and have made about twenty recordings that were all favorably greeted by critics. When they complete their time with the children’s choir, the children usually join the Ile de France Youth Choir.
The Children’s Choir definitely belongs to the Parisian musical life and cooperates with famous orchestras. Each summer they go on one of their tours which have taken them all around the world .

Discography of Francis Bardot’s Children’s Choirs
Gounod’s Requiem , Mozart’s Waisenhaussmesse, Vierne’s Mass (Forlane)
Berlioz’s Te Deum (Nelson, Alagna, Marie Claire Alain , Orchestre de Paris, Virgin)
Verdi’s Othello (Domingo, Studer, Myung-Whun-Chung, Deutsche Grammophon)
Massenet’s Amadis (Fournillier, Forlane)
Poulenc’s 7 Réponses des Ténèbres (Prêtre, EMI)
Janacek’s La Petite Renarde Rusée (Orchestre de Paris, Mackerras)
Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C, Fauré’s Requiem, Duruflé’s Requiem…
Mozart’s Bastien, Bastienne (Forlane)
Recent collaborations
Orchestre de Paris, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Orchestre des Concerts Colonne
Orchestre de l’Opéra de Massy, Orchestre Bernard Thomas , Bell’Arte
Aix Festival , Vichy Opera , Marseille Opera (the Magic Flute ) , Compiègne Opéra (Yniold)