‘Tis the Season with Kent Nagano ^2024-2025

Kent Nagano is acclaimed as an outstanding conductor for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. He has been General Music Director of the Hamburg State Opera and Chief Conductor of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg since September 2015. In addition, he serves as Artistic Director of the Wagner Readings, a project that aims to revisit Wagner’s Tetralogy from a performance practice perspective, in collaboration with the Concerto Köln Chamber Orchestra and the Dresden Festival Orchestra. Kent Nagano is a patron of the Herrenchiemsee Festival, and was appointed Honorary Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (2006), of the Concerto Köln (2019), and of the OSM (2021).

The many highlights of Kent Nagano’s collaboration with the OSM as Music Director from 2006 to 2020 include the inauguration of the Orchestra’s new concert hall, the Maison symphonique de Montréal in September 2011. Nagano and the OSM have toured in Canada including Northern Quebec, and internationally in Japan, South Korea, Europe (latest tour in 2019), Latin America and the USA. In July 2018, Kent Nagano conducted Krzysztof Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion with the OSM on the occasion of the Salzburg Festival opening concert.

Maestro Nagano’s recent recording releases include a 3-CD box set of works by Olivier Messiaen (BR Klassik label, 2021). He also published his second book, 10 Lessons of my Life (Berlin Verlag, 2021) in which he recalls ten highly personal encounters in his life, each bringing important lessons that transcend his career path. Previously, in 2015 Kent Nagano published Erwarten Sie Wunder! (Berlin Verlag), a passionate appeal for the relevance of classical music in today’s world. This book was also published in English (Expect the Unexpected, McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2019) and in French (Sonnez, Merveilles, Éditions du Boréal, 2015).

It should come as no surprise that today, Marie-Nicole Lemieux shines as one of the brightest stars in the international galaxy of singers. As an artist and person, she radiates the highest degree of inspired brilliance! She leads an international career that has brought her to the world’s most prominent opera stages (New York, Milan, London, Paris, Salzburg, Zurich, Vienna, Madrid) and performs regularly as a guest soloist in symphonic masterworks with prestigious orchestras led by renowned conductors. Marie-Nicole continues to triumph in a broad operatic repertoire that includes the Baroque (Orfeo ed Eurydice, Giulio Cesare, Orlando Furioso), French works (Les Troyens, Pelléas et Mélisande, Samson et Dalila, Carmen), as well as operas by Rossini (Guillaume Tell, Tancredi, L’Italiana in Algeri), Verdi (Falstaff, Il Trovatore, Un ballo in Maschera), and Wagner (Der Ring des Nibelungen). Her seemingly limitless vocal palette also makes her an outstanding recitalist. Championed by Warner Classics, her new label since 2017, Lemieux’s rich and varied discography has amassed numerous accolades.   

Vincent Boilard began playing music at 6 years of age, learning the recorder before embracing the oboe at 11. He hasn’t looked back since! He pursued his mastery of the instrument with Philippe Magnan in Quebec City and with Roland Perrenoud in Geneva. After winning First Prize at the Canadian Music Competition in 2006, he began to think seriously about turning professional. His fondest musical memory is of performing Mahler’s Symphony no. 1 with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He first played with the OSM on July 15, 2015, accompanying the band Les Trois accords. His first tour with the OSM was also memorable: it was in 2016, the Orchestra was performing in the United States, and he was still on probation before becoming a permanent member of the orchestra. Maestro Nagano had the right words to encourage and support him in his endeavours. Vincent Boilard also teaches oboe at the Université de Montréal.

Principal trumpet with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1995, he has been featured frequently with the OSM, including tours to South America and at the Lincoln Center in New York.Paul has been featured with orchestras worldwide, including English Chamber Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Venice Baroque Orchestra and Eastman Wind Ensemble. Merkelo’s first solo recording, A Simple Song was ranked #1 in Quebec’s classical recording chart in 2000. In 2004, Analekta released a highly praised second CD, Baroque Transcriptions, which was nominated by ADISQ for Best Classical Album of the Year. French Trumpet Concertos with OSM and Kent Nagano was nominated by the JUNO Awards in 2016. He is the founder of the Paul Merkelo Scholarship.

Associate principal cellist of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2011, Anna Burden has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad as a soloist, chamber player, and orchestral musician. Solo appearances include performances with the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, the Washington Chamber Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, the Oak Park Symphony Orchestra, and with musicians of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. A native of Chicago, Anna Burden studied with Hans Jensen, Joel Krosnick, Alan Stepansky, Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins, and Nell Novak. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School, and a Professional Studies diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. She plays a cello made in 1929 by Carl Becker of Chicago. 

A native of Montreal, Serge Desgagnés has held the Principal Percussion chair of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1997, having collaborated with the OSM as early as 1982. A first prize winner in percussion and solfeggio at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, he also studied in New York with marimba master Leigh Howard Stevens. He initially performed with different ensembles in the Montreal area, including the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, with whom he appeared as soloist, as well as several chamber music groups. Before joining the OSM, he occupied the Principal Percussion position with the Orchestre Métropolitain. He has also taught percussion at the Faculté de Musique de l’Université de Montréal.