Joshua Weilerstein to leave OCL
Initially signed for a four-year term, the American conductor's mandate at the helm of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne has already been extended by two years. After several productive and fruitful years with the orchestra, Joshua Weilerstein has decided not to seek renewal of his mandate as Artistic Director. He will step down at the end of the 2020-2021 season.
The orchestra has already drawn extremely positive conclusions from this collaboration, both in musical and human terms. The conductor adds: "Over the last few years, the OCL has considerably expanded its repertoire and performed at an extremely high level, while continuing to seek new ways of making quality music in Lausanne. These years have been a joy for me, and I look forward to the next two. However, I'm convinced that freshness and new perspectives are as valuable to the orchestra as longevity and stability," explains Joshua Weilerstein.
Signed in 2015, the American conductor's mandate as artistic director had been extended for two seasons in 2017. At the end of the 2020-2021 season, Joshua Weilerstein will step down to pursue new projects. Since the beginning of his work with the OCL, Joshua Weilerstein has worked to break down the barriers that too often surround classical music, while offering diverse and prestigious programs. Speaking engagements on stage, free open concerts and musical interventions outside the walls of the Salle Métropole are just some of the initiatives that have quickly won over the Lausanne public. Internationally, the young American conductor took the Orchestra for the first time to the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Grand Théâtre du Liceu in Barcelona and the Rostropovich Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan.
