HEMU Contemporary Ensemble

Founded in 2003, the HEMU Contemporary Ensemble has, over the years, become a key player in the musical life of French-speaking Switzerland, not least thanks to its regular collaboration with the Société de Musique Contemporaine (SMC Lausanne). Its mission is to introduce HEMU – Haute École de Musique students to the rich repertoire of the last seventy years, under the guidance of specialists in this field – and often the composers themselves – during contemporary music workshops that now form a regular feature of the academic year. It is recognised for the quality of its performances by a growing number of partners, including the Ensemble Contrechamps, the Archipel Festival, the Fribourg International Festival of Sacred Music (FIMS), EclatsConcerts, the Théâtre 2.21, RTS Espace 2, the Swiss Film Archive, the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), the HEM in Geneva, the Château Rouge subsidised theatre, the Lemanic Modern Ensemble, etc.

The long list of leading composers, both male and female, whose works the ensemble has performed since 2003 constitutes a veritable compendium of contemporary composition from the last fifty years: Dieter Ammann, Noriko Baba, Luciano Berio, George Benjamin, Oscar Bianchi, Pierluigi Billone, William Blank, Pierre Boulez, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Georges Crumb, Luigi Dallapiccola, Xavier Dayer, Pascal Dusapin, Morton Feldman, Ivan Fedele, Francesco Filidei, Beat Furrer, Stefano Gervasoni, Vinko Globokar, Sofia Gubaidulina, Jonathan Harvey, Heinz Holliger, Toshio Hosokawa, Klaus Huber, Michael Jarrell, Tom Johnson, Betsy Jolas, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág, Hanspeter Kyburz, Helmut Lachenmann, György Ligeti, Witold Lutosławski, Yan Maresz, Tristan Murail, Isabel Mundry, Luis Naón, Krzysztof Penderecki, Gérard Pesson, Matthias Pintscher, Wolfgang Rihm, Giacinto Scelsi, Alessandro Solbiati, Toru Takemitsu, Edgard Varèse, Iannis Xenakis, Isang Yun, Agata Zubel. The composer-in-residence for the 2026–27 season is Philippe Leroux.

> Composers-in-residence at the HEMU

The composer and conductor William Blank had served as its artistic and musical director since its inception. Guillaume Bourgogne succeeded him in 2022.

Videos

Seen & Heard

• Dans la rigueur, se libérer du temps
• Noces de cristal de l'HEMU et du 2.21

2025-2026 season concerts

• Rescousse
  > November 3, 2025, SMC Lausanne, HEMU – Vaud, Utopia 1, Lausanne
  > November 5, 2025, SMC Lausanne in collaboration with FIMS Fribourg, Temple of Fribourg
   
• Heart of Light
  > November 24, 2025, Utopia 1, Lausanne
   
• La beauté convulsive
  > January 19, 2026, BCV Concert Hall, Lausanne
   
• Tout sur la musique
  > March 5, 6, 7, 2026, Théâtre 2.21, Lausanne