French conductor Lionel Bringuier is one of the most engaging conductors of his generation, praised for his artistic maturity, emotional understanding and insightful programming. He performs with the world's most distinguished orchestras and regularly collaborates with leading solo artists both in concert and on critically acclaimed recordings.
In the 2017/2018 season, Mr Bringuier will make two appearances with the Orchestre National de Lyon, in November 2017 and May 2018. The season also includes engagements with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Finnish & Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestras, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica de Castilla y León, Gulbenkian Symphony Gulbenkian Symphony Orchestra and Malaysian Philharmonic. Bringuier returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic this season in March 2018 with a programme that includes Dvorak's Symphony No. 8.
Bringuier's other programmes this season offer a wide range of repertoire; other highlights include Dutilleux's Symphony No. 1, Lutosławski's Les espaces de sommeil and Brett Dean's Amphitheatre, as well as works by Shostakovich, Ravel, Salonen, Gruber, Varèse, Berlioz and others. Bringuier has appeared as guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Cleveland Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, Philharmonia Orchestra and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. He was appointed Chief Conductor and Music Director of the 2012 appointed Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, he is now entering his seventh season with the ensemble. In April 2018, Bringuier and the TOZ will embark on a tour of several cities in Europe, with pianist Igor Levit as soloist.
Following the groundbreaking inauguration of the Creative Chair Initiative for the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in its first season, Lionel Bringuier will collaborate this year with composer Brett Dean. Dean collaborate. The very first Creative Chair was Esa-Pekka Salonen, followed by Jörg Widmann, and most recently Peter Eötvös. Former TOZ resident artists Yuja Wang, Lisa Batiashvili and Martin Grubinger continue to collaborate frequently. Lionel Bringuier and the TOZ open this season with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Brett Dean's Viola Concerto, featuring the composer as soloist.
Mr Bringuier has conducted numerous world premieres, including the world premiere of Bernard Rands' Concerto for English Horn and Orchestra with soloist Robert Walters and the Cleveland Orchestra, and the world premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen's Caravan with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. He has also conducted regional premieres of works by John Corigliano, Marc-André Dalbavie, Magnus Lindberg, Bruno Mantovani, Gubaidulina and others. Bringuier will lead the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and harpist Xavier Maistre in the world premiere of Kaija Saariaho's "Trans" for harp and orchestra. He frequently collaborates with renowned soloists, including pianists Yuja Wang, Nelson Freire, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Lang Lang, and violinists Lisa Batiashvili, Renaud Capuçon, Leonidas Kavakos, Gil Shaham and Ray Chen; and cellist Gautier Capuçon.
His discography includes two Ravel compilations on Deutsche Grammophon, the most recent being a complete survey of the composer's orchestral works, with recordings by Yuja Wang and Ray Chen. Lionel and Nelson Freire can be heard on a Decca CD with a selected choice of Chopin works, and on a DVD recording Bringuier's debut at the BBC Proms. Lionel has also released an album of Saint-Saëns concertos with violinist Renaud Capuçon and cellist Gautier Capuçon on Erato. Lionel Bringuier has received several awards for his artistic achievements, including the "Médaille d'or à l'unanimité avec les félicitations du jury à l'Académie Prince Rainier III de Monaco" and the "Médaille d'or" of the city of Nice. He was also awarded prizes by the Swiss Langart Foundation and the Cziffra Foundation. After an assistantship with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and an association with the Orchestre de Bretagne, Bringuier was selected from nearly 150 applicants to become assistant conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Esa-Pekka Salonen in 2007. He was (at 21) the youngest conductor in the orchestra's history and the youngest conductor at Walt Disney Concert Hall. His exceptional rapport with the orchestra, critical acclaim and direct contact with the audience led to his reappointment under Gustavo Dudamel and promotion to Principal Conductor in 2011.
Bringuier simultaneously began a three-year tenure as music director of Spain's Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, to which he returns regularly as conductor.
Lionel Bringuier studied cello with Philippe Muller and conducting with Zsolt Nagy at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He received further professional guidance through master classes with Péter Eötvös and Janos Fürst. Bringuier made his professional debut at the age of 14 when he conducted a live concert on French television, followed by a triumph in Besançon at the age of 19 that launched his career.