The chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy takes its name from the renowned string orchestra of the court of the French kings. The group, which has a core membership of fifteen players, was brought together in 1984 by founding conductor Bernard Labadie, now styled founding conductor, and continues under music director Jonathan Cohen to specialize in the vast repertoire of music for chamber orchestra.

Using copies of period bows on modern instruments, the ensemble plays works from the Baroque and Classical period with an approach strongly influenced by current research into performance practice in the 17th and 18th centuries. The orchestra also regularly delves into the repertoire of the 19th and 20th centuries.

At the heart of Québec’s musical activity, Les Violons du Roy are also part of Montréal’s cultural offering. Known throughout North America thanks to their numerous concerts broadcast on Radio-Canada, CBC and NPR, they have given concerts in Europe, notably at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the Berlin Philharmonic, as well as in South Korea and China. Their United States presence includes regular stops in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Les Violons du Roy’s discography boasts 38 titles, including three Juno Award–winning albums and one Félix Award-winning album. Twelve recordings have appeared on the Dorian label, and eleven under the ATMA Classique label. It has also made recordings with soloists Vivica Genaux, Truls Mørk, Alexandre Tharaud, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Marc-André Hamelin,
Valérie Milot, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Charles Richard-Hamelin, and Diane Dufresne.