Les Insectes

Founded in 2020 by composer Bastien David, the ensemble Les Insectes explores the connections between music, ecology, and contemporary creation. Drawing on the cultural diversity of his childhood in Seine‑Saint‑Denis and inspired by the living world, Bastien David develops works that question humanity’s place within its environment, shaped by an innovative and socially engaged artistic approach.

At the heart of this adventure lies the Circular Metallophone, a unique percussion instrument imagined and designed by Bastien David after nine years of research and international collaboration. The idea for the instrument was born during a journey to Mandalay in Myanmar, where he worked with traditional instrument maker Ko Aung Moe on the crafting and tuning of 216 hand‑hammered steel blades. The six lacquered wooden resonating boxes were later built in France, and the instrument was completed in Italy during a residency at the Villa Medici – the French Academy in Rome.

With a circumference of 15 meters and tuned micro‑tonally to the 1/12th of a tone, the Circular Metallophone offers an organic and hypnotic sound palette. It also proposes an unprecedented concert configuration: six percussionists performing simultaneously on the same instrument, sculpting sound using mallets, bows, or various accessories. The musicians’ gestures — sometimes virtuoso, sometimes barely perceptible — become true choreographic movements, inviting audiences into a new sonic universe.
Since its creation, the ensemble has crossed musical boundaries by collaborating with a wide range of disciplines: contemporary dance, visual arts, circus arts, architecture, and even scientific research. These intersections give rise to immersive, multidimensional experiences, exemplified by the travelling exhibition “Carnet de voyage”, which documents and shares these artistic encounters with a broad audience.

The creations of the ensemble Les Insectes shine both in France and internationally, supported by prestigious residencies at the Villa Medici, the Villa Concordia, and the Casa de Velázquez. Among its landmark works are Les Métamorphoses, premiered in 2022, and Chlorophyll Synthesis, the second installment of an ecology‑themed triptych, premiered in 2023 at Radio France. As part of the Festival d’Automne in Paris, on 3 December 2026, the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris will host the premiere of Nous sommes Orage, co‑commissioned by the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the ensemble Les Insectes. For this creation, Bastien David will design — with support from the Casa de Velázquez — three new instruments to expand the ensemble’s instrumentarium.

Since 2024, the Société Générale Corporate Foundation has supported the ensemble Les Insectes in its structural development. This partnership allows the ensemble to strengthen its team, broaden the reach of its creations, and affirm the group’s long‑term commitment to supporting the professionalization of young artists — a mission that resonates strongly as Bastien David is himself a former laureate of the Société Générale Foundation.

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