Nolwenn Bargin is a Franco-Swiss flutist originally from Brittany whose interest in the flute was sparked at a very young age. After starting her studies in Paris at the age of 11 in Sophie Cherrier's class, she was admitted to Jean-Claude Gérard's class at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart at the age of 19, graduating five years later. She continued her studies in Davide Formisano's class earning her soloist diploma summa cum laude in 2010.
She embarked on her professional career with the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, followed by temporary contracts at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where she played under conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Ricardo Chailly and Gustavo Dudamel, as well as with the Berliner Philharmoniker, where she played under the direction of Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, and Herbert Blomstedt, amongst others. She is currently principal flute at the Musikkollegium Winterthur and regularly invited to perform with orchestras such as the Sinfonieorchester Basel and the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester.
Nolwenn Bargin has been a lecturer for flute and chamber music at the Stella Vorarlberg Privathochschule für Musik (formerly Vorarlberger Landeskonservatorium Feldkirch) since 2017 and a lecturer for piccolo at the Basel Academy of Music since 2023.
Alongside her academic career, Nolwenn Bargin is a regular guest soloist and chamber musician at European festivals and concert series. Her partners include Lise de la Salle, Kit Armstrong, Nicolas Altstaedt, Ian Bostridge, José Cura, Emmanuel Pahud and Emmanuel Ceysson. The ensemble Chant du Vent, formed in collaboration with pianist Maki Wiederkehr, actively promotes the chamber music repertoire for wind instruments.
In 2019, she became an artist of the classical music record label Claves Records. Her recordings include a debut album with the Musikkollegium Winterthur and violinist Roberto González Monjas, featuring concertos by CPE Bach. The latest, together with her ensemble Chant du Vent, is a tribute to the French composer Philippe Gaubert. This record has been nominated for the International Classical Music Awards 2024.
Nolwenn Bargin takes part in numerous educational projects, for instance in Iran, supporting the association Bridge for the Arts, or in Colombia, fostering the young talents of the Iberacademy in Medellín through annual master classes.