Interested in spirituality from a very early age, Sébastien Vonlanthen read, among others, the books of Arnaud Desjardins, which made him realize that all religions share the same ultimate goal beyond appearances. The pursuit of this goal requires effort and constant practice. He tried to put this teaching into practice as an autodidact before going to Hauteville. Upon his return, he began practicing Zen at the Dojo in La Chaux-de-Fonds with Simone Jiko Wolf, from whom he received Bodhisattva and monk ordinations. He then walked part of the Camino de Santiago, became interested in alchemy, and practiced the Way of Plants taught by Brigitte Thiébault. He organized a benefit concert for the “Save Soil” movement, which promotes responsible agriculture aiming for a soil organic matter content of at least 3% to combat soil erosion.

Since meeting Caroline Peter, he has discovered the teachings of Bulgarian Masters Peter Deunov and Mikhaïl Omraam Aivanhov and the existence of the Universal White Brotherhood. With Caroline, he shares a love for Japan, having discovered the sacred trees of Yakushima on previous trips. He also did woofing there, as well as in Iriomote, a preserved island in the far reaches of the Okinawa archipelago.

Since August 2023, following the Esperanto centenary congress at Oomoto, which he attended, he has also been dedicated to learning Japanese and living the ideals of brotherhood, peace, and a single God that defines Oomoto, “the Great Source,” a spiritual path stemming from Shinto founded by Nao Deguchi in 1892.

Bringing joy and harmony to people through music: these are the goals Sébastien Vonlanthen sets for himself, serving his art with passion and dedication. He shares his knowledge with pleasure and patience, always pushing the limits of the possible. He is currently the director of the Ultreïa ensemble, an international choir dedicated to sacred music, bringing together singers of all levels and backgrounds.

He directed the Collegium Musicum Lausanne, which brings together professional musicians and singers specializing in the ancient repertoire, oriented towards historically informed practice. This ensemble was acclaimed by critics as having international potential during their first concert at the Bach Festival in Lausanne in 2013.

In his role as organist at the Temple of Lutry, he founded and directed the Lutry Vocal and Instrumental Chapel, which primarily performed Bach cantatas or works by other composers about four times a year since 2013, including Charpentier’s Midnight Mass, MacMillan’s and Allegri’s Miserere, Byrd’s five-voice Mass, de Lalande’s Te Deum, and Josquin des Prés’ Pange Lingua Mass.

Passionate about early music, he regularly collaborated with the ensemble Chant 1450, co-directed the Louverain Choir, the Hortvs Amoris ensemble, and the Ensemble Vocal de Poche, particularly in Monteverdi’s Vespers in August 2010.

His work on historically informed interpretation led him—not only to create the Collegium Musicum Lausanne—but also to explore reading manuscripts on the lectern with the Maîtrise de Fribourg, notably recreating a Maillard mass from the original edition during the summer 2015 tour in France, Italy, and Switzerland. He also digitized fragments of parchments from an antiphonary kept in the Lutry archives and recreated some passages in concert. They are available online via the link below: Fragmentarium.

He also directed the vocal ensemble Crescendo and Hortvs Amoris in Charpentier’s Midnight Mass and Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio.

His performances as an ensemble or orchestra conductor, choir director, or soloist are regularly broadcast on radio or television.

He studied with Marc Pantillon (piano diploma), Pierre-Laurent Haesler (continuo), and Robert Märki (organ diploma) at the Neuchâtel Conservatory, with Kei Koito (Master’s concert and Master’s soloist organ at the Lausanne University of Music), Laurent Gendre (Master’s of sacred music in choral conducting), Luca Ricossa and Christiane Haymoz (Gregorian chant), and Jean-Yves Haymoz, Barnabé Janin, and Raphaël Picazos (vocal improvisation in medieval and Renaissance styles).