Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne

Founded 1942 by Victor Desarzens, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (OCL) is today one of the most sought-after chamber orchestras in Europe. The orchestra of around 40 musicians has a vast repertoire, from the earliest baroque to contemporary premieres. The OCL very quickly became a presence in the most prestigious festivals and concert halls and has performed with top level soloists in Lausanne, as well as abroad. The quality of the OCL is above all due to an identity forged through the years by a small number of artistic directors. The founder Victor Desarzens (1942-1973) was followed by Armin Jordan (1973-1985), then Lawrence Foster (1985-1990), Jesús López Cobos (1990-2000), Christian Zacharias (2000-2013) and Joshua Weilerstein (2015-2021). In 2021, Renaud Capuçon became the orchestra’s artistic director. His tremendous musical experience, as well as his dynamism and his artistic profile promise a new and exciting chapter for the OCL. The orchestra has a significant discography: from the complete operas of Haydn in the 1970s and 80s under Antal Dorati to the concertos of Beethoven and Mozart with Christian Zacharias, not to mention recordings dedicated to Schoenberg and Webern (with Heinz Holliger) and to Spohr and Weber (with Paul Meyer). The OCL has recently recorded two albums with Joshua Weilerstein. The first album under the direction of Renaud Capuçon of works by the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, was released in September 2021 by Warner Classics.