It was at Richard Cowan's request that the 2 main choruses of Belle-Ile were invited to take part in the Festival in 1999, on the occasion of an evening performance dedicated to extracts from Carmen, in the Citadelle.
Rehearsals started in July, conducted by Gilles André from the Paris Opera chorus and within 3 weeks, the chorus, as well as secondary residents and vacationers, included about 25 people. The group also prepared Mozart's Laudate Dominum for an evening concert, thus performing its first work of sacred music.
In 2000, they performed one of Gounod's Motets, an extract of Berlioz's The Christ's Childhood and of the chorus of Verdi's Traviata, prepared by Christine Greneau.
In 2001, the chorus comprised about 35 chorus singers. This time, it prepared a sacred work, complete and more obscure: Saint Saëns's Requiem, rehearsed by Christine Greneau and directed by Gilles André for two concerts in Locmaria.
In 2002, 45 people, including 25 from Belle-Ile who sing Mozart's Requiem, performed 4 times in the island's churches.
In 2003, the chorus singers sang Gounod's Saint Cecilia's Mass and some of them go back on the stage to reinforce the small chorus of Puccini's "La Bohème".

This year, we are pleased to welcome them back for the 5th consecutive year: they'll perform Handel's The Messiah in all the island's churches and a few will sing in the choruses of Bizet's Carmen.

Chorus Master: Gilles André
The Chorus: Singers