About this Artist

French conductor LIONEL BRINGUIER's artistic maturity, interpretive depth, and distinct programming have quickly established him as one of the most engaging conductors of his generation. He appears frequently with top orchestras to great acclaim, all of which led to his being named Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in 2012 at age 26. Entering the fifth season since his momentous debut with the Tonhalle, Bringuier’s bold vision and boundless energy – both on and off the podium – are breathing new life and vitality into a historic ensemble.

This season Lionel Bringuier will collaborate with the composer and conductor Péter Eötvös, as well as the Austrian multipercussionist Martin Grubinger as the TOZ Artist in Residence. In autumn 2016, Lionel embarked on an international concert tour to South America with the TOZ, joined by violinist Lisa Batiashvili and pianist Nelson Freire at some of the continent’s most celebrated venues.

Additional 2016/17 season engagements include Bringuier’s highly anticipated debut at the Opéra National de Paris, conducting a production of Bizet’s Carmen by Calixto Bieito. Bringuier has return engagements this season with the Munich Philharmonic, NDR Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Wiener Symphoniker.

Bringuier has conducted numerous 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 Karawane with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. This season, Bringuier will lead the TOZ and harpist Xavier Maistre in the premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s “Trans” for Harp and Orchestra. His discography includes two recent Ravel compilations on Deutsche Grammophon, the latest being a complete survey of the composer’s orchestral works, with performances by pianist Yuja Wang and violinist Ray Chen.

Bringuier has received several awards recognizing 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 from the city of Nice. He was also honored with prizes from the Schweizer Stiftung Langart and the Cziffra Foundation.