The Conservatoire de Lausanne is a Swiss music school founded in 1861, making it one of the oldest music institutions in Europe. Located in central Lausanne, it serves approximately 1,200 students ranging from young children to young adults. The institution shares its facilities with the Haute Ecole de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU), which offers accredited bachelor's and master's degrees for aspiring professional musicians. The conservatory is recognized by the Fondation pour l'Enseignement de la Musique (FEM) and operates under the Canton of Vaud music school law.
Programs and Structure
The Conservatoire de Lausanne offers programs across multiple levels and disciplines:
- Instrumental and Vocal Training: Individual instruction on all standard orchestral instruments, piano, voice, and guitar. Students begin as early as age 6 and progress through graded levels.
- Music Theory (Solfège): Weekly theory courses integrated with instrumental study, covering levels 1 through 8 plus an advanced theory program.
- Ensembles and Orchestras: Available from age 7, including wind ensembles, accordion orchestra, and choral directing. Students participate in concerts and performances throughout the year.
- Musique-école: A specialized program for talented students, combining compulsory schooling with intensive musical training through a modified academic schedule.
- Pre-HEM: A preparatory program for students intending to pursue professional music studies at HEMU or other higher education institutions. This program is run in collaboration with HEMU.
- Conducting and Continuing Education: Specialized courses for adults in choral conducting, wind ensemble conducting, and accordion orchestra conducting, available from age 16.
The associated HEMU offers bachelor's and master's degrees in two divisions: Classical and Jazz. The jazz department, launched in 2006, is the only one of its kind in French-speaking Switzerland. HEMU degrees are accredited by the Swiss government and the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO). HEMU is a member of the European Association of Conservatoires.
Tuition and Admissions
Conservatoire de Lausanne (Pre-College and Amateur Programs)
Tuition rates for the 2025-26 academic year are published on the Conservatoire de Lausanne fees page. As a public institution under Canton of Vaud law, fees are structured to remain accessible to local residents. Subsidized rates (Tarif L) for the 2025-26 year range from CHF 710 for early childhood music programs to CHF 2,990 for Pre-HEM with two instruments. Non-subsidized rates are higher.
Admission requires an entrance test for most instruments due to high demand. Once admitted, students join a class with peers of varying levels and ages, creating a collaborative learning environment. The curriculum includes individual instrument or voice lessons, weekly theory courses, and ensemble participation.
Students who demonstrate exceptional ability can join the Musique-ecole program for intensive training, or transition to the Pre-HEM pathway for professional preparation. Studies culminate in a certificate or attestation documenting achievements in instrumental or vocal practice and theory.
HEMU Degree Programs (Bachelor and Master)
For HEMU degree programs, admission is through competitive audition. The application deadline is 1 March each year (11:59 PM UTC+01:00). The admission exam fee is CHF 80 (non-refundable). Required documents include a passport photo, motivation letter, CV, repertoire list, audition program, certificate of access to higher education, music diplomas, and valid ID.
Bachelor's prerequisites: Candidates must hold a certificate granting access to higher education or an equivalent qualification. No age limit. The audition lasts approximately 15 minutes, with the jury selecting works to be performed. All candidates who pass the instrumental or vocal audition must also take a music theory test.
Master's prerequisites: Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree in Music from a Swiss university or an equivalent qualification. No age limit.
HEMU tuition (2026-27 academic year):
- Annual tuition fee: CHF 1,410 (Swiss nationality) or CHF 2,110 (other nationalities)
- One-time registration fee: CHF 150
- Student activity contribution: CHF 10 per year
- Leave of absence: CHF 150 per semester
HEMU had approximately 300 classical and 60 jazz students enrolled as of recent data. Visit the HEMU website for degree program admission details.
Notable Alumni and Faculty
The Conservatoire de Lausanne and HEMU have trained musicians who perform in Swiss and European orchestras, teach in music schools across the region, and pursue solo careers. In March 2026, a Conservatoire de Lausanne student was admitted to the Juilliard School summer program, highlighting the institution's ability to prepare students for elite international opportunities.
The current director of HEMU is Herve Klopfenstein. The faculty includes active performers and educators across classical and jazz disciplines. The institution's jazz department, unique in French-speaking Switzerland, has attracted students from across the region since its founding in 2006.
Notable Alumni
- Baiju Bhatt (born 1988) - Swiss-Indian jazz violinist, composer, and leader of the award-winning jazz/world quintet Red Sun. Bhatt studied classical violin at the Conservatoire de Lausanne from age six, then became the first violinist to complete a Master's degree in Jazz at HEMU in 2014 (with a prize of excellence). His band Red Sun has released three albums on the Neuklang label, with People Of Tomorrow (2023) earning "HIT CouleursJazz" and "Indispensable Jazz News" labels. He has studied with jazz violinists Didier Lockwood and Jean-Luc Ponty and now teaches at the Conservatoire de Lausanne. Here is his solo violin piece "Namaste" from the People Of Tomorrow album:
- Marc Perrenoud (born 1981) - Jazz pianist and composer. Perrenoud graduated from the Conservatoire de Lausanne (HEMU) in 2004 in the class of Yannick Delez with distinction. He won the Montreux Jazz Chrysler Award in 2003 and the ZKB Jazz Prize in 2010 with his trio. In 2022, he became the first jazz pianist to receive a one-year residency with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR), performing Duke Ellington's "New World a-Comin'" and his own concerto "Small Heel." The Marc Perrenoud Trio has given over 300 concerts worldwide and been praised as "remarkable" by BBC Music Magazine. Here he is performing at the Jazz sur son 31 festival in Toulouse:
- Zacharie Ksyk (born 1991) - Franco-Swiss trumpeter and composer. Ksyk earned a Master's degree in jazz at HEMU under Matthieu Michel. He performs with the Geneva Camerata and works across classical and jazz disciplines.
- Kyungwha Kim - Contrabassist. Kim earned a Master of Soloist degree at HEMU in 2021 in the class of Petru Iuga and won a co-soloist position at the Nuremberg Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2022.
- Alice Emery - Harpist. Emery earned a Master's at HEMU in 2022 in the class of Letizia Belmondo and secured a permanent position at the Symphony Orchestra of the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil after a year at the Rio de Janeiro Opera Orchestra.
HEMU Orchestra Performances
The HEMU Orchestra regularly collaborates with professional ensembles. Here is an aftermovie from the December 2024 concert where the HEMU Orchestra joined the Sinfonietta de Lausanne under conductor Ruth Reinhardt, performing the premiere of Cyprien Lengagne's "Eclipses" (winner of the Fonds Jacques Cerf composition competition) and Richard Strauss's "Ein Heldenleben":
Why It Matters for Aspiring Musicians
The Conservatoire de Lausanne provides a structured pathway from early musical education through professional training. Students can begin at age 6 and progress to pre-professional preparation without leaving the institution. The shared facilities with HEMU mean students have access to professional-level infrastructure and faculty from the start.
For Swiss residents, the conservatory offers affordable, high-quality music education with a recognized curriculum. The FEM-recognized program ensures that certificates and attestations are portable across Swiss music schools. International students interested in HEMU degree programs benefit from Swiss accreditation and the school's membership in the European Association of Conservatoires.
The jazz program at HEMU deserves particular attention. As the only jazz department in French-speaking Switzerland, it offers specialized training that would otherwise require relocating to German-speaking Switzerland or neighboring France. Prospective jazz students should audition well in advance, as the program has limited enrollment.
Visit the Conservatoire de Lausanne website for enrollment information, audition dates, and current fee schedules. You can also compare programs in our music schools directory or read our guide on how to learn music theory without formal training.
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- Conservatoire de Paris (CNSMDP) - A major French-language conservatoire with similar classical and jazz programs
- Geneva-based Conservatoire - Another European conservatoire with strong classical traditions
- Sibelius Academy - A Nordic conservatoire where HEMU alumna connections extend through the Finnish jazz scene
