Lucas Debargue’s musical path had not been an entirely straight one. Born in 1990, Lucas received his first piano lessons at the Conservatory in the French town of Compiègne at the age of 11. Although the virtuoso repertoire quickly fascinated him, he soon switched to literature and obtained a Bachelor’s Art degree in Paris Diderot 7 University.

He returned to piano studies when he was 20; the meeting in 2011 with professor Rena Shereshevskaya who accepted him into her class at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot determined the musical commitment of his life. Three years later he won the 1st prize at the 9th Gaillard International Piano Competition (France) before he caused a sensation in 2015 at the International Tchaikovsky Competition when he won both 4th place and the coveted Moscow Critics’ Prize for his “artistic vision and creative freedom which thrilled critics and audiences alike.” Following this, Lucas Debargue has been invited to perform recitals and with many leading orchestras and conductors such as Valery Gergiev, Vladimir Jurovsky, Andrey Boreyko and Gidon Kremer; he played in many renowned concert halls in Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. he has already released 3 solo piano CD on the Sony Classic label. In 2017 he was awarded a prestigious German prize “ECHO Klassik”.

Parallel to his intensive concert activity Lucas Debargue continued his studies in the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris and in April 2016 obtained there the “Diplome Superieur de Concertiste” and a Special Cortot Prize.

He is also a talented composer and several of his works have already been premiered in Russia, Latvia and France.

Joshua Weilerstein is the Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, where his contract has been extended until the end of the 2020/21 season. He enjoys a flourishing guest-conducting career and has established a number of close relationships both in Europe and the USA, including the NDR Radiophilharmonie, BBC Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic, where he was assistant conductor. Joshua Weilerstein is known for his clarity of musical expression, unforced manner and natural musicianship.

In the 2019/20 season Weilerstein will return to orchestras such as Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. At the beginning of the season, he will lead the Orchestra de Chambre de Lausanne on a tour to Germany and will also make his debut with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

During his time as Assistant Conductor with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Weilerstein was actively involved in the orchestra’s Young People’s Concerts. In August 2018, he conducted a specially devised programme, ›The Sound of an Orchestra‹, for the BBC Proms which was inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s televised presentations in New York and was described as »…an exhilarating musical ride through three centuries’ worth of orchestral music to try to investigate ‚the sound of an orchestra‘.« (Bachtrack)

An advocate of easy communication between the stage and audience, Weilerstein welcomes discussion about all aspects of classical music, programming, and the experience of concert-going.