Founded in 2020 under the impetus of a group of singers from the Maîtrise Notre-Dame de Paris who benefited from Sylvain Dieudonné’s teaching, the ensemble Pérotin le Grand is dedicated to the rediscovery and promotion of the musical heritage of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Under the artistic direction of Sylvain Dieudonné, the ensemble’s vocation is to carry this heritage beyond the walls. With a predilection for Gregorian chant and the repertoire of the School of Notre-Dame (12th – 13th century), Pérotin le Grand also interprets other forms of medieval music, sacred and secular. It particularly explores all music that, over time, has maintained a connection with Gregorian chant, and it promotes contemporary creation.
With variable geometry, the ensemble performs a cappella or accompanied by specialized instruments.
Sylvain DIEUDONNÉ medieval fiddle and direction
Holder of numerous prizes from the Paris National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance, Sylvain Dieudonné has specialized in the study of Gregorian chant and medieval music.
A large part of his research work is devoted to the study and restitution of Notre-Dame de Paris’s musical heritage.
His activities as choir director and pedagogue at the Cathedral’s Maîtrise (1994-2019) allowed him to create partnerships with numerous artists and specialized ensembles. He takes the musical direction of the ensemble Pérotin le Grand in 2020. In September 2022, he is appointed professor of Gregorian Chant at the Paris National Superior Conservatory of Music and Dance.
Helena BREGAR soprano, choir director, dancer
A singer of Polish and Slovenian origins, holder of a master’s degree in classical singing & dramatic arts from the Music Academy in Bydgoszcz and the National Superior Professional Diploma of Musician from the Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt in the baroque singing class, she studied choir direction at the Nantes conservatory. Laureate of several international competitions, her repertoire extends from early music to contemporary music. She works with French ensembles Ensemble Flores Myrtae, la Compagnie La Tempête, l’Ensemble Vox Cantoris, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien as well as l’Ensemble Intemperata (Poland), l’Ensemble Musica Cubicularis (Slovenia) and the world music vocal ensemble Mundovox, which she directs. In 2022, she founds l’Ensemble La Sensible (early, traditional and improvised music). In traditional singing, Helena uses the vocal technique called “cri-chant” which she teaches during workshops she regularly organizes. She also practices baroque, renaissance and traditional dance.
Raphaël MAS countertenor, percussionist, composer
Born in Paris, he enters the Maîtrise of Notre-Dame de Paris in 1992, where he will pursue his musical studies without interruption until the superior diploma of vocal studies, studies completed at the CNSM of Lyon.
He participates in numerous concerts, recordings and tours, as singer and/or percussionist with ensembles such as Alla Francesca, the Kamerata of Athens, l’Ensemble vocal de Notre-Dame de Paris, A Sei Voci, Pygmalion, Correspondances, Le Poème Harmonique, Les Solistes de Lyon, l’Ensemble vocal de Nantes, Les Cris de Paris, l’ensemble William Byrd, Vox Cantoris, Le Concert Spirituel, le chœur de chambre de Namur, etc. At the request of certain ensembles, he composes several pieces, such as Veni creator spiritus, piece for ensemble of soloists with 8 equal voices (SA), cornet and bowed fiddle (2011), les Sept dernières paroles du Christ, for men’s voice ensemble and clarinets, Exode(s), for three women’s voices and viola da gamba (2013), Old song (2016), for vocal quartet, Duo pour violoncelle seul (2019), for cello and alto voice, À travers temps (2020), piece in two for eight voices a cappella or choir, as well as a Regina Cæli commissioned by the ensemble 6 voix dans la nuit (2024).