"Le Petit Concert Baroque, duo de clavecins constitué par Chani et Nadja Lesaulnier, deux sœurs qui ont fait de la transcription d’œuvres en général vocales leur spécialité. Sens du dialogue, fraîcheur : dans Haendel, Bach ou Vivaldi, le tandem Lesaulnier séduit tant par le naturel que le fini et la musicalité de son approche. Se refusant à écrire leurs transcriptions, les deux claviéristes renouvellent à chaque fois l’exercice face aux textes originaux. Ce point n’est sans doute pas étranger au rebond, au piquant, à l’étonnement qu’elles mettent dans leurs interprétations. Que de lyrisme aussi chez deux musiciennes habituées à travailler avec les voix, à la Schola Cantorum de Bâle en particulier, et qui savent faire de leur instrument le plus beau des chanteurs. Un duo à suivre de près ; concertclassic aura bientôt l’occasion de lui donner la parole. "
Alain Cochard  - 24 Août 2011 - Site concertclassic.com

The Lesaulnier sisters create the harpsichords duo Le Petit Concert Baroque in 2002.

Chani & Nadja Lesaulnier are born in 1984 and 1986 in Aix-en-Provence. They start their musical formation with Pierre Hantaï and Élisabet Joyé in Paris before moving on to Barcelona to take part in Béatrice Martin’s external degree at the Escuola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona. In the ESMUC, they also acquire a crucial understanding of chamber music with Manfredo Kraemer.

Nadja & Chani Lesaulnier then study at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Jesper B. Christensen, Andrea Marcon and Jörg-Andreas Bötticher. They also take part in courses by Andreas Scholl, Paolo Pandolfo, Gerd Türk and Chiara Banchini. Nadja & Chani both complete their harpsichord soloist Diplomas with Honours in 2007. Nadja also completes a Master in Basso Continuo in 2010.

In addition to her career as a harpsichordist, Nadja studies the baroque violin and the baroque doublebass and performs regularly under the direction of D. Sinclair, S. Scholtz and Ch. Biller.

As a solo harpsichordist, Nadja Lesaulnier wins the 1st price at the Schmelzer International Competition in Melk (president of the jury: G. Leonhardt), the 2nd prize at the International Harpsichord Competition Paola Bernardi in Bologna (L.F. Tagliavini) and the 3d prize at the International Bach Competition in Leipzig in 2010 (R. Hill).

Le Petit Concert Baroque wins the 2nd prize at the Premio Bonporti 2008 in Rovereto (G. Leonhardt) and was prizewinner at the Schmelzer International Competition 2005 in Melk (R. Clemencic).

Le Petit Concert Baroque appears in concert throughout Europe : Vienna Alte-Musik Festival "Italia Mia", Europäisches Musikfest Stuttgart with the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Bach-Festspiele Schaffhausen and Festival "Barock in Zürich" with La Cetra (dir. A.Marcon), Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, etc ...

The first CD of the Lesaulnier sisters, "Al Piacere del Signore G. F. Haendel", is dedicated to transcriptions for two harpsichords made by Nadja & Chani of orchestral and vocal music of G.F. Haendel. Released in spring 2009, under the Austrian Radio label, ORF Alte Musik the CD was awarded a Diapason d’Or Découverte of the musical magazine Diapason in May 2009.

In 2010, Le Petit Concert Baroque is awarded the Basel Kiwanis Association Culture Prize. Chani & Nadja recorded a second disc, this time with Bach-Transcriptions. It will come out soon.