Lucile Boulanger, viola da gamba
Concert
- Monday, June 22, 4:00 p.m.
- Saint-Théodulphe Church, Champigny
Lucile Boulanger, viola da gamba
A moment suspended around the viola da gamba, between introspection and echoes of the past.
Biography of Lucile Boulanger
Lucile Boulanger began studying the viola da gamba with Christine Plubeau at the age of five and continued her studies with Ariane Maurette, Jérôme Hantaï, and finally Christophe Coin at the CNSMD in Paris. She has won several international prizes (the Bach-Abel Competition in Köthen, the Musica Antiqua Competition in Bruges, the Società Umanitaria Competition in Milan, among others).
In high demand as a chamber musician, she performs and records with Philippe Pierlot and the Ricercar Consort, François Lazarevitch, Pierre Gallon, Justin Taylor, L’Achéron… and regularly joins larger ensembles such as the Ensemble Pygmalion.
In addition, she performs frequently in recital across Europe and records for labels such as harmonia mundi and Alpha Classics.
Released in 2022, her album for solo viola, dedicated to Bach and Abel, has won numerous awards (ffff Télérama, Diapason d’Or of the Year, Scherzo Excepcionales…) and has been a huge hit with audiences. The year 2022 also saw the premiere of the show Phénix, the result of her collaboration with hip-hop choreographer Mourad Merzouki, a show that is still on tour today.
Refusing to view the viola da gamba merely as the vessel of a bygone aesthetic tradition, she works to expand and liberate her instrument’s repertoire, not only through transcription but also by commissioning contemporary works. Released in 2024, her latest solo album, *La Messagère*, blends early French Baroque and contemporary music: “The viola da gamba seems to represent an instrument that did not exist or that comes from another world.” (P. Gervasoni, *Le Monde*). She received the 2025 Victoire de la Musique award in the Instrumental Soloist category.
Lucile Boulanger teaches the viola da gamba at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (KCB) and has just been appointed professor at the Paris National Conservatory (CNSMDP).
Source: www.lucileboulanger.com