Orchestras Canada

It’s been a busy couple of weeks since we last reported on season launches – and we’re pleased to catch up on the latest:

The Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, under music director Jacques Lacombe, presents a nine-concert program (plus gala fundraising concert) during its 35th anniversary season. Highlights include the premiere of a new work by André Gagnon and Michel Tremblay, based on letters from Gabrielle Roy to her mother, and performed by Marie-Nicole Lemieux with the orchestra.

I Musici de Montréal released details of its first full season under the leadership of artistic director and principal conductor Jean-Marie Zeitouni – 37 concerts in venues ranging from the Maison symphonique to the Salle Bourgie, featuring emerging Canadian talent, long-time artistic partners, and first-time artistic collaboration with Les Violons du Roy and the choir of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal.

The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal has launched its 2012-13 season – its fifth under Music Director Kent Nagano – and highlights include not only large-scale projects (opening the season with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and closing it with Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake), but also the debut of a new chamber choir (under the leadership of Andrew Megill), twelve Montreal premieres and three world premieres, including a new Haydn-inspired work by DJ Champion.

The Greater Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra has launched its 2012-13 season, a five-concert program that, consistent with the GTPO’s policy, is led by an array of guest conductors, each of whom brings a slightly different flavour to their chosen program.

The Victoria Symphony celebrates Music Director Tania Miller’s 10th season with the orchestra with a “blockbuster array of repertoire and stars”, including performances by James Ehnes and Chantal Kreviazuk, Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin, and a New Music Festival featuring the music of John Cage.

Congratulations to the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, which has recently announced the appointment of Fabien Gabel as its new music director. Maestro Gabel succeeds Yoav Talmi, and will begin his duties with the OSQ in the fall of 2012. A native of France, he is a regular guest conductor with a number of outstanding European orchestras, and has made an award-winning recording with the Orchestre national de France and Marie-Nicole Lemieux. As exciting as this news is for the OSQ, we were also intrigued by the decidedly “social media” approach that the OSQ took to launching the new maestro: first with a “days, hours, minutes” count-down to the announcement on a dedicated microsite, then with a truly beautiful video that introduced us to the new maestro, and finally with a short questionnaire intended to inform Maestro Gabel about his new audience, new orchestra and new community. You can find it all here.

The Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières has announced a five-year contract renewal for its busy Music Director, Jacques Lacombe. Speaking about the contract renewal, Maestro Lacombe said, “I’ve been so welcomed by my hometown orchestra, and have had such a vote of confidence from this wonderful musical family, I consider myself fortunate to continue this relationship. By sharing our talents and our energies, we have created an orchestra that we can all be proud of – and we’ve only just begun our work together!”

The National Arts Centre has announced the renewal of Maestro Pinchas Zukerman’s contract as the NAC Orchestra’s Music Director for four more years, to August 31, 2015.  The decision to renew Mr. Zukerman’s contract was unanimously approved by the National Arts Centre Board of Trustees, on the recommendation of NAC President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Herrndorf.  In a statement Mr. Herrndorf said, “Pinchas Zukerman’s gift of music has delighted audiences across Canada and internationally. For more than a decade the National Arts Centre has benefitted from his leadership on the podium, his extraordinary artistry as a soloist, and his deep commitment to music education. We are thrilled this relationship will continue.”

Congratulations to Bernard Labadie, music director of Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Quebec, who will make his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra this weekend in Bach‘s St. Matthew Passion.  He will not be the only Canadian on stage, either:  celebrated contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux will be one of the six soloists for these performances.