The Simone Oratorio

The Oratorio "Simone": An Exceptional Anniversary Concert for the 80th Anniversary of the Lycée Français de Vienne

As part of its 80th-anniversary celebrations, the Lycée Français de Vienne experienced a particularly moving musical moment on Saturday, March 14th, during the premiere of the oratorio Simone, performed for the first time at the Votivkirche.

This original work, commissioned for the occasion from the young composer Franziska Roth—a graduate of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna—traces three defining moments in the life of Simone Veil: the visionary magistrate, the committed minister, and the first president of the European Parliament. The oratorio also evokes her fate, forever marked by her deportation at the age of 16 to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Carried by 150 students from CE2 to Terminale, this 45-minute musical fresco brought together choir, orchestra, soloists, and narrators under the direction of Claude Brendel, a music teacher at the school.

Beyond the concert itself, this project embodies the power of music in education: learning to listen, cooperate, and create together. After months of hard work, the students delivered an unforgettable artistic and collective moment to the audience.

A huge congratulations to all the students, teachers, musicians, and partners who made this magnificent adventure possible.