Founded in 1942 by Victor Desarzens, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (OCL) is today one of the most sought-after chamber orchestras in Europe. After six years under the artistic direction of the American conductor Joshua Weilerstein, the OCL is now led by the renowned French violinist Renaud Capuçon. 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. It has participated in the Festival of Aix-en-Provence since the second festival and has been a regular guest at the Enescu Festival in Bucharest. Its tours in Germany and the USA have met with tremendous success, as have its concerts at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, at the BBC Proms in London, the Wiener Konzerthaus in Vienna or the Berliner Philharmoniker.

During season 2022-2023, the OCL will tour to the Wiener Musikvereins and, for the first time, to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.

All through its history, the OCL has performed with top level soloists such as Clara Haskil, Alfred Cortot, Walter Gieseking, Edwin Fischer, Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu, Marta Argerich, Nikolai Lugansky, Daniel Barenboim, or Frank Peter Zimmermann. The OCL has also been able to attract the most interesting conductors of their times, such as Paul Hindemith, Günter Wand, Christoph Eschenbach, Ton Koopman, Jeffrey Tate, Bertrand de Billy, Simone Young or Daniel Harding.

L’OCL 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).