BIOGRAPHY

“Incredible sense of orchestral balance”, “elegant precision”, “refined colorist”, we hear about the direction of Nicolas Chalvin. A complete musician, he cherishes and practices the three dimensions of the profession of conductor: the lyrical, the symphonic and the chamber orchestra.

Trained oboist Nicolas Chalvin studied at the CNSM in Lyon before joining major symphonic ensembles, notably the Orchester National de Lyon and the Orchester Philharmonique du Luxembourg.

As a conductor, he cut his teeth at the Opéra de Lausanne, encouraged by Armin Jordan and Franz Welser-Möst, who urged him to abandon the oboe for the baton.
We find him from then on as an opera conductor in Switzerland, France, Austria: Carmen, Orpheus, Traviata, Les Troyens, Cosi fan Tutte, Rake’s Progress, Eugène Onéguine among others.
He thus collaborates with great directors, such as Jérôme Savary, Alain Garichot, Omar Porras, Patrice Caurier & Moshe Leiser, Richard Brunel, Jean-François Sivadier, Brigitte Fassbaender.

He is also the guest of orchestral phalanxes in France and abroad.

We will remember the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio-France, the São Carlo Orchestra of Lisbon, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg, the National Orchestra of Lyon, the National Orchestra of Greece, the Orchestra of Beijing National Ballet, Landesthather Innsbruck Orchestra.

From 2009 to 2021, Nicolas Chalvin is the Music Director of the Orchester des Pays de Savoie. At its head, he strives to shape the colors, multiply the stylistic approaches, browsing with ease the orchestral repertoire, from the first baroques to the most recent works, particularly cherishing French music and Viennese classics.

His taste for discovery led him to record several premieres as well as to bring forgotten works back to life.
Among his recordings, the opera "Sophie Arnould" by Gabriel Pierné with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra won a Diapason d’Or and a BBC Award in 2008.
In 2015, the New York Times cited the Reynaldo Hahn record as one of its 25 classic references of the year.

In 2019, the discographic publication alongside flautist José-Daniel Castellon of works by André Jolivet and Frank Martin on Claves Records was hailed by a Choc de Classica.

In 2021, the release, still on Claves, of a recording dedicated to Jean Françaix, with the Orchester de Chambre de Lausanne, receives a gold key of the year from Resmusica.

Alongside his work as a chief, Nicolas Chalvin also has a passion for transmission. Professor at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne, he shares his experience with young musicians in the unique and innovative setting of the Orchester-Atelier.