Newswire | Jacques Lacombe Becomes OCM’s Next Artistic Director

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Montreal, February 22 – OCM is very proud to announce the appointment of Jacques Lacombe as its new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor. Maestro Lacombe will join the team on July 1, 2023, and will serve a five-year term. This marks the dawn of a new era at the OCM: for the first time in 83 years, the position of Artistic Director will not be held by a member of the Brott family. The organization will however continue to celebrate and honour the memory of those who made this orchestra so special.

The OCM would like to extend its warmest thanks to Geneviève Leclair, Alain Trudel and the other guest conductors who are assisting the orchestra with its leadership transition this season. Their hard work is enabling the OCM to maintain the level of excellence it reached during its years under Alexander and Boris Brott.

“The Board is absolutely thrilled to have Jacques Lacombe assume the musical leadership of the OCM.” says Deborah Corber, OCM’s Board Chair. “We felt a deep resonance with Jacques’ respect for the history of this remarkable ensemble and were inspired by his vision for its future. Wherever he is, Boris Brott must surely be smiling and saying “Bravissimo!” she says.

“I have known Jacques for 30 years and I am a great admirer of his work,” says Taras Kulish, the OCM’s executive director. “It’s a dream come true to be able to collaborate with him so closely, with an orchestra that is so dear to my heart. I would like to sincerely thank the selection committee for their incredible work during the difficult search process. We have found our shining star for the next chapter of OCM’s illustrious history!” he says.

“Fifty years ago, I attended my first orchestra concert in Trois-Rivières as a child, and my life was changed forever. That child became a conductor as a result of the experience, and it is with great emotion that I now take on the artistic direction of that same orchestra, buoyed by a desire to continue developing this major Quebec musical institution—the Orchestre Classique de Montréal—which was bequeathed to us by Alexander and Boris Brott thanks to their extraordinary dedication, conviction and generosity,” says Jacques Lacombe, the OCM’s new Artistic Director.

Maestro Lacombe led last season’s final concert, Eroica, at the Maison Symphonique in May 2022. He also conducted the OCM in its recording of the Ice Storm Symphony for the ATMA Classique label last summer.

From 2017 to 2021, Jacques Lacombe was the Artistic Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse. Previously, he served as Principal Conductor of the Bonn Opera in Germany from 2016 to 2018 and as Artistic Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières from 2006 to 2018. He was also the Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra from 2010 to 2016 and the principal guest conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal from 2002 to 2006.

In addition to collaborating with numerous orchestras across North America, including in Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas and Montreal, Jacques Lacombe has conducted in Europe with the Orchestre National de France, the Orchestre Lamoureux, and orchestras in Malaga, Monte Carlo, Nancy, Nice, Seville and Toulouse, as well as many orchestras in Oceania and Asia.

He has performed at the world’s most important opera houses, including the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Bayerisches Staatsoper in Munich, the Teatro Regio in Turin, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Opéra National du Rhin and the Opéra National de Lorraine, as well as opera houses in Avignon, Marseille, Metz, Nantes, Angers, Monaco and Seville.

WELCOME TO THE OCM FAMILY, MAESTRO LACOMBE!

About the OCM
The Orchestre Classique de Montréal (OCM) was founded in 1939 by violinist, conductor, and composer Alexander Brott and cellist and manager Lotte Brott. Previously named the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the OCM quickly became one of Canada’s most established chamber orchestras, touring five continents, recording extensively, and appearing regularly on radio and television. Boris Brott, OC, OQ, the elder son of Alexander and one of Canada’s most internationally renowned conductors, led the OCM from 2000 until his death in April 2022. The OCM is a vibrant, innovative, and flexible ensemble consisting of the city’s best professional musicians presenting concerts throughout the year and now in residence at the Salle Pierre-Mercure. Fulfilling its mission of celebrating diversity and inclusivity, the OCM has created the program Music for Everyone which enables collaborations with numerous new immigrant communities and Montreal organizations in making OCM’s performances accessible to all.