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Montreal, February 25, 2021 – The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) is pleased and proud to announce that today, Kent Nagano receives the honorary title of Conductor Emeritus of the Orchestra. Appointed by the Board of Directors, he becomes the third Music Director of the OSM to receive this recognition after Wilfrid Pelletier and Zubin Mehta. Back at last in Montreal to accept this honour, Maestro Nagano marks the occasion by conducting the Orchestra in three long-awaited concerts!
It is with deep feeling and great pride that I welcome the decision by the OSM’s Board of Directors to appoint me Conductor Emeritus of this great Orchestra. I am deeply moved by this decision. I wish to thank Lucien Bouchard, Madeleine Careau, all other members of the Board of Directors, as well as all my brilliant OSM colleagues for this honour, which even further strengthens my attachment toward Montreal and the province of Quebec. — KENT NAGANO
Maestro Nagano’s outstanding contribution to the OSM and to the entire Quebec community from both artistic and human perspectives fully justifies his status as Conductor Emeritus. After 16 years at the Orchestra’s helm, he has left an invaluable legacy of magnificent concerts, but also of remarkable achievements such as helping to make the Maison symphonique project a reality, a world-class concert hall in which music lovers and musicians can appreciate the subtleties and power of the works performed. He was key in the OSM’s acquisition of the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique and of its three octobasses, led numerous award-winning recordings, established the Classical Spree festival, bringing the OSM closer to a broader, more diverse public, directed several memorable concerts on the Olympic Park’s Esplanade and conceived La musique aux enfants, an educational program so dear to his heart. He masterfully fulfilled the OSM’s tradition of major tours, showcasing the Orchestra on several continents and solidifying its international reputation. Confident that music is a medium for dialogue, peacemaking, and friendship, he twice brought the OSM to communities in the Northern Quebec region to perform the new opera Chaakapesh, a product of the OSM’s collaboration with Inuit and First Nations creators.
For the exceptional relationship he has forged and sustained with the OSM, its musicians, Montreal and the entire province, Kent Nagano is forever part of Quebec’s cultural life. In appointing him Conductor Emeritus, the Orchestra clearly shows its commitment to preserving its privileged connection with the Maestro, well beyond his term as Music Director.
THE OSM AND KENT NAGANO: A LONG-AWAITED REUNION
Back in Montreal after a lengthy absence, Kent Nagano conducts three specially tailored programs to celebrate his highly anticipated homecoming, in which the Orchestra’s musicians also take front stage. This moving reunion features three concerts with highly diverse instrumental combinations highlighting solo musicians, different instrumental sections, and the tutti. The series covers all genres, from classical masterpieces to contemporary creation; programs will focus mainly on works by Germanic composers, whose inclusion in the OSM’s repertoire is one of the Maestro’s great achievements in promoting its artistic development and profile.
Three new webcast concerts conducted by Kent Nagano
- March 9: From Beethoven to Poulenc: Kent Nagano, between Thought and Refinement
- March 16 : Strings, Winds and Piano: The Art of Contrast According to Kent Nagano
- March 23 : Surprise and triumph : Kent Nagano Conducts Haydn and Mozart
Concerts will be available online as of 7 p.m. and thereafter for a period of 21 days.
On sale today at 7 a.m. : osm.ca / 514 842-9951 / 1 888 842-9951 Rate of $20 per individual viewing. Package rate of 15% off when you purchase access to all three concerts.
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