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.

“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

 

Finally returning to Montréal, – his last appearance was in February 2020- Kent Nagano conducts the OSM in three programs to celebrate his highly anticipated homecoming on 9, 16 and 23 March. With works by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Hindemith as well as Poulenc and Stravinsky, the programs will focus mainly on works by Austrian and German composers, whose inclusion in the OSM’s repertoire is one of the Maestro’s great achievements in promoting its artistic development and profile.

9 March: From Beethoven to Poulenc: Kent Nagano, between Thought and Refinement
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2
Poulenc: Organ Concerto
Hindemith: Kammermusik No. 1

16 March: Strings, Winds and Piano: The Art of Contrast According to Kent Nagano
Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind instruments
Schubert (orch. of Mahler): Der Tod und das Mädchen

23 March: Surprise and triumph: Kent Nagano Conducts Haydn and Mozart
Haydn: Symphony No. 45
Mozart: Symphony No. 41 „Jupiter“

Concerts will be begin at 7 pm EST/EDT and thereafter be available for a period of 21 days. Tickets on sale now on OSM.CA.

After 16 years at the Orchestra’s helm, Kent Nagano has left an invaluable legacy of magnificent concerts, but also of remarkable achievements such as helping to make the Maison symphonique project a reality. 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 Emeritus Conductor, the Orchestra clearly shows its commitment to preserving its privileged connection with the Maestro, well beyond his term as Music Director.