Well known young musician, Nadja Lesaulnier is appreciated for her soloist interpretations as well as for her sense of chamber music and her creative continuo.

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Nadja Lesaulnier was awarded several international distinctions :

• the first prize at the Schmelzer International Competition in Melk, Gustav Leonhardt (president of the jury) 

• the second prize at the International Harpsichord Competition – Paola Bernardi in Bologna, Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini (president of the jury) 

• the second prize at the Jurow International Harpsichord Competition in Cincinnati

• the third prize at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig, Robert Hill (president of the jury).

• In 2015 she receive an honorable mention at the International  Competition Musica Antiqua Brugge.

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Born in Aix-en-Provence, Nadja Lesaulnier studied with P. Hantaï and É. Joyé in Paris before moving to Barcelona to take part in B. Martin's external degree course at the Escuola Superior de Musica de Catalunya. There she also studied chamber music with M.  Kramer.

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In 2003, she began studies with J. B. Christensen, A. Marcon, and J.-A. Bötticher at the Schola Cantorum in Basel. She also took part in courses by A. Scholl, C. Banchini, G. Türk, D. Plantier and A. Beyer, completing a harpsichord soloist diploma and a basso continuo master with honors.

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As a soloist, Nadja performs all over the world : Vienna (Italia Mia), Venice, Schaffhausen (Bach Festspiel), Saint-Paul-MN (Baroque Room), Vermillion-SD (National Music Museum), Basel (Cembalo in der Stadt Basel), Utrecht (Oude Muziek Festival), Stuttgart (Europäisches Musikfest), Melk (Barock Tage), Zurich, London, Philadelphia (Curtis Institute), Greenville (NC), Tokyo & Kanazawa (Folles Journées)... 

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In 2008, she participated in a large european tour as the harpsichordist of the European Union Baroque Orchestra under the directions of  L.U.Mortensen, R.Goodman and E.Onofri.

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Nadja Lesaulnier is founder member of the ensemble Les Ombres and of the harpsichord duo Le Petit Concert Baroque. She regularly plays with the baroque orchestra "Divino Sospiro" based in Lisbon, with the flutist Tamar Eskenian, the singer Jan Thomer and the Marinus Ensemble.

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Le Petit Concert Baroque won  the competition dedicated to G.F.Haendel “Göttinger Reihe Historischer Musik”. The duo won also the 2d prize at the Premio Bonporti in Rovereto, and the 3d prize at the Schmelzer International Competition in Melk.

 Les Ombres won the 2d prize at the competition A Tre in Trossingen in 2009.

Nadja took part to recordings under the labels ORF Alte Musik Edition, Ambronay Edition, Mirare, Les chemins de baroque and Fra Bernardo. Le Petit Concert Baroque first album,“Al Piacere del Signore G.F. Haendel” is awarded Diapason d’Or Découverte Mai 2009, and the second CD of the duo,“Der Ewigkeit saphirnes Haus” is awarded Diapason d’Or in July 2013 . The several albums of Les Ombres are also richly  awarded by magazines like Classica, Cobuz or Gramophone.

 

Nadja shares her knowledge by private lessons, lectures (Curtis Intitute PA, University of Michigan-Dearborn-MI), masterclasses (International Summer School de Dartington, GB, Académie Baroque of the Nuits Musicales d'Uzès, FR) and replacements (Musikhochschule Trossingen).

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In addition to her harpsichordist career, Nadja Lesaulnier plays the baroque violin, the baroque cello and the baroque doublebass. She studied the baroque violin with D.Plantier and S.Hoffmann in Basel and in Frankfurt. Nadja plays also the piano and the fortepiano, studying in 2010 with Jean-Jacques Dünki at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel.

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As player of string instruments, she is founder of the ensemble I Pizzicanti.