Olivier Darbellay

One of the leading horn players in the world, Olivier Darbellay has established an active solo career in addition to his role as principal horn with the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, and the Gstaad Festival Orchestra. A native of Bern, Switzerland, Darbellay was born in 1974 to a musical family, which included his father, composer Jean-Luc Darbellay. He began studying music as a cello student at the Bern Conservatory, receiving instruction from Patrick Demenga and Peter Hörr, and graduating in 1996. He also studied the horn with Thomas Müller and David Johnson. Darbellay continued his studies in Freiburg under Bruno Schneider, earning a degree in 1998, and he completed his education in Basel. After winning prizes at several competitions, Darbellay began performing as a soloist with major orchestras in Switzerland, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany, Russia, Romania, and Japan. He is an active chamber musician, performing with groups around the world and appearing as a guest artist with Joshua Bell, Sol Gabetta, Heinz Holliger, Mischa Maisky, Daniil Trifonov, Konstantin Lifschitz, Christian Zacharias, Christoph Prégardien, and Mark Padmore, among others. Darbellay is a frequent guest artist at music festivals in Europe, including the Lucerne Festival and the Verbier Festival, and he has taken a special interest in contemporary music, working with Collegium Novum Zürich and Ensemble Contrechamps. As an expert on the natural horn, Darbellay is also involved in early music, performing with Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and the Bach Collegium Japan. Since 2001, Darbellay has taught horn at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne, and since 2010, he has been a professor at the Institute for Classical and Church Music of the Musikhochschule Lucerne.
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