Joshua Weilerstein is the Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. He also enjoys a flourishing guest conducting career throughout Europe and the USA and is known for his clarity of musical expression, boundless enthusiasm, and deep natural musicianship. His enthusiasm for a wide range of repertoire is combined with an ambition to bring new audiences into the concert hall.
As Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne(OCL), Weilerstein has brought a fresh programming perspective to the orchestra, performing a contemporary or rarely heard work on each one of his subscription concerts alongside the core classical repertoire. The OCL regularly commissions new works, and has launched a series of community initiatives resulting in the growth of new audiences while also retaining loyal subscribers. The orchestra has also released a critically acclaimed all Stravinsky recording under Weilerstein’s direction, and has toured the major musical capitals of Europe.
Joshua Weilerstein believes passionately in programming both traditional and contemporary repertoire and whenever possible, presents a piece by a living composer in each of his concerts. He hosts a successful classical music podcast, Sticky Notes, for music lovers and newcomers alike. This reflects his interest in music education and in trying to reach as wide an audience as possible. In his capacity as Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Weilerstein encourages and is committed to participating in the educational and Découvertes series of concerts for children and families. 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 and which re-worked Leonard Bernstein’s televised presentations in New York and which was described (Bachtrack) as “… an exhilarating musical ride through three centuries’ worth of orchestral music to try to investigate “the sound of an orchestra.”