Louange vivante is a Swiss worship collective that brings together around a hundred volunteer musicians, singers, and dancers for each recording, centered on Sylvain Freymond. Born in 1981 at the Lausanne Easter Convention and published by JEM éditions, its catalog spans five series and twenty CDs recorded live since 1989.
Louange vivante is not a fixed group but a concept: for each recording, a hundred different people, volunteer musicians, singers, and dancers, make themselves available to serve French-speaking worship and Youth With A Mission (JEM). The project was born in 1981 at the Lausanne Easter Convention, initiated by Sylvain Freymond, and has never stopped since: from 1989 onward, the first recordings were released on CD by JEM éditions.
The catalog today spans five series and twenty CDs, more than four hours of worship recorded live in churches, seminars, and conventions across the French-speaking world, rather than in a studio. Each song carries its own JEM catalog number, and some albums, such as Reconnaissance, bring together other writers besides Sylvain Freymond, including Pierre-Nicolas de Katow, Rolf Schneider, and Céline Meylan, proof that louange vivante remains above all a collective project.
- Origin
- French-speaking Switzerland, born at the Lausanne Easter Convention
- Style
- Community worship recorded live, carried by around a hundred volunteers for each recording
- Active since
- 1981 for the concept, first CDs released in 1989
- Good to know
- published by JEM éditions; not to be confused with the personal stage name of its founder, Sylvain Freymond
How did louange vivante get started?
The concept was born in 1981 at the Lausanne Easter Convention, a gathering where Sylvain Freymond initiated a way of living out worship that has never stopped since. It is not a group in the classic sense, but an open project: for each recording, a hundred different people, musicians, singers, and dancers, make themselves available to carry a time of worship together.
In 1989, this movement of collective worship became a recorded music collection published by JEM éditions, the publishing house of the missionary organization Youth With A Mission (JEM). Since then, each new recording has extended a catalog already rich with five series and twenty CDs.
What makes louange vivante distinctive?
Its distinctiveness lies in how it is produced: unlike most worship projects, every louange vivante album is recorded live, in French-speaking churches, seminars, or conventions, never in a studio. This approach gives its recordings, in the words of its publisher, a "living, real feel, close to the reality of French-speaking churches."
Another distinctive feature: louange vivante is not the project of a single author. While Sylvain Freymond remains its central figure, albums such as Reconnaissance bring together other composers from the JEM catalog, including Pierre-Nicolas de Katow and Rolf Schneider, alongside singer Céline Meylan. Each song is also listed under a JEM catalog number, such as Chaîne d'amour (Jem 734) or Louez le roi (Jem 636), which makes it easier to find in the songbooks used in churches.
Where should you start with louange vivante?
To discover the catalog, start with "Chaîne d'amour" (Jem 734), one of the most covered songs in the repertoire, before listening to "Louez le Roi" (Jem 636), a direct call to collective worship. "Qui est comme Dieu" (Jem 820), captured in an extended version, gives a good sense of what the big louange vivante public gatherings are like.
songs
Chaîne d'amour
song cataloged as Jem 734, recorded live on the album Dieu tu es grand, one of the most covered songs in the repertoire.
Louez le Roi
Jem 636, a direct call to collective worship, typical of the project's community spirit.
Qui est comme Dieu
Jem 820, captured in an extended version during a large louange vivante gathering.
Discography
- Reconnaissance· live album pairing Sylvain Freymond with Pierre-Nicolas de Katow, Rolf Schneider, and Céline Meylan.
- Louange vivante 5· last album of the first series, opening with the song À toi la gloire.
- Louange vivante 4
- Louange vivante 3
- Louange vivante 2· eleven songs written by eleven different French-speaking songwriters.
- Louange vivante 1
- Les cieux ouverts· 100 percent live album, recorded during a seminar in Yverdon.
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Frequently asked questions
What is louange vivante?
Louange vivante is a Swiss community worship project that brings together around a hundred volunteer musicians, singers, and dancers for each recording. Born in 1981 at the Lausanne Easter Convention, it has been published since 1989 by JEM éditions, the publishing house of Youth With A Mission (JEM).
Who founded louange vivante?
Louange vivante was initiated by Sylvain Freymond in 1981, at the Lausanne Easter Convention. He remains its central figure, but the project brings together other musicians and composers for each recording, making it a collective project rather than a personal one.
How many albums does the louange vivante catalog include?
The catalog spans five series and twenty CDs published by JEM éditions since 1989, more than four hours of worship recorded live in French-speaking churches, seminars, and conventions.
Is louange vivante a fixed group?
No: for each recording, a hundred different people, volunteer musicians, singers, and dancers, make themselves available for the project. It is this collective, ever-changing dimension that sets louange vivante apart from a classic group.
Where can you listen to louange vivante songs?
The catalog is published by JEM éditions, available on CD and MP3, and a large part of the video recordings can be found on YouTube, split between the official JEM éditions channel and Sylvain Freymond's own channel.
Are louange vivante and Sylvain Freymond the same thing?
No: Sylvain Freymond is a Swiss teacher and worship leader who leads and teaches worship under his own name, while louange vivante is the name of the collective project he initiated in 1981, bringing together a hundred different volunteers for each recording.