Joel von Lerber was born in Basel, Switzerland in 1991. He was only six when he took his first harp lessons at the Bern Conservatory with Nathalie Châtelain and in the following years with Simon Bilger. His Bachelor’s degree (with Sarah O’Brien) was followed by a Master of Arts (Performance) with Sarah O’Brien at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2014. Two years later, he obtained a Master of Music with Prof. Maria Graf at the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin. In 2019, he took the “Konzertexamen”, equally with Prof. Maria Graf. The exam concert at the Konzerthaus Berlin, which he passed “with distinction”, was also his debut with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Joel von Lerber also received artistic stimulation through masterclasses with reputed artists such as Helga Storck, Isabelle Moretti, Jana Boušková, Xavier de Maistre and pianist Pavlin Nechev. In addition, Joel has benefited from various scholarships, including those of the DAAG German Academic Exchange Service) and the Migros - Kulturprozent.

Joel is a prize-winner of numerous international competitions, including the International Harp Competition of the Franz Josef Reinl Foundation in Munich (2011, 1st Prize), the International Louis Spohr Competition in Kassel (2013, 1st Prize and Audience Award), the Golden Harp Competition in St. Petersburg (2014, 3rd Prize), the Michal Spisak International Music Competition In Poland (2015, 2nd Prize and Special Prize), the International Harp Competition in Mexico (2017, 2nd Prize) and the renowned International Harp Contest in Israel (2018, 2nd Prize and two special prizes for the best interpretation).

Joel von Lerber regularly performs as a soloist in Switzerland and Germany, with ensembles such as the Bern Chamber Orchestra, the Fribourgeois Chamber Orchester, Kammerphilharmonie Graubünden, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Vorpommern Philharmonic Orchestra and the Filmorchester Babelsberg. He has also performed with the State Hermitage Orchestra in St. Petersburg, the Mexico City Symphony Orchestra in Mexico City, the Filharmonia Zabrzanksa in Poland and the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel, as well as with the Brandenburg State Orchestra.