Meet Lyam Chenaux – the Swiss–Italian cello sensation!
From the age of 8, Lyam has been captivating audiences across Switzerland and abroad, and today he is one of the most exciting young cellists of his generation.
At just 10 years old, he made his solo debut with the Budweis Philharmonic Orchestra — where he also met Denis Severin, who later became his teacher at the Haute École de Musique de Neuchâtel. Since then, Lyam has performed as a soloist with an impressive list of orchestras including:
✨ UniArt Orchestra (Paris)
✨ Orchestre d’Yverdon (conducted by Christophe Delafontaine)
✨ Orchestre des Jeunes Musiciens Suisses Romands (conducted by François Théodoloz)
✨ Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra (conducted by Arnd Mayer)
✨ Ponticello Geneva (conducted by Olivier Gaillard)
✨ Quatuor Debussy (conducted by Christophe Colette)
✨ Camerata du Grand Genève
✨ Neue Philharmonie Hamburg (conducted by Pavel Stylianou)
✨ Vienna Opera Ball Orchestra (conducted by Andreas Willis)
✨ CMNE (conducted by Semjon Ostrovski)
✨ Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (conducted by János Kovács)
✨ EAMT Symphonia (conducted by Toomas Kapten)
…and many more!
🏆 Lyam has won dozens of international competitions — including all categories of the Swiss Youth Music Competition (solo, early music, composition, trio), the Classicalia Final in Vienna, and the International Cello Competition “David Popper” in Hungary.
In 2025, he added three major victories:
• 33rd Lions Cello Competition for Switzerland and Liechtenstein
• Young Musicians International Competition in Estonia
• David Geringas Violoncello International Competition in Lithuania
In April 2025, we invited Lyam to perform Lalo’s cello concerto at the Virtuosos Winners’ Concert at the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, directed by Maestro János Kovács — a truly memorable appearance on one of the world’s great classical stages. 🎶🇭🇺
At age 12, he joined the world-renowned LGT Young Soloists under the direction of Alexander Gilman, performing on major stages from Singapore and Dubai to Austria, Germany, Australia, Norway and South America.
Lyam plays an exquisite 1881 Guadagnini cello, generously loaned by Adopt A Musician (Giovanni Accornero).
Beyond music, Lyam is a brilliant student — he entered high school two years early and follows a tailor-made program at Ecole Sofia Lausanne. He loves cycling, watches, chess, political science, and motor sports.
Since February 2025, he has been a scholarship holder at the Music Academy in Liechtenstein, participating in the Academy’s intensive weeks and programs.
✨ Learn more about this extraordinary young artist: www.lyamchenaux.com
We are delighted to introduce Lyam to the Virtuosos community! 🌟