The Orchestre Métropolitain (OM) is a symphony orchestra in

Montréal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

, Québec, formed in 1981. It performs primarily in the Montreal Symphony House at

Place des Arts Place may refer to: Geography * Place (United States Census Bureau), defined as any concentration of population ** Census-designated place, a populated area lacking its own municipal government * "Place", a type of street or road name ** Often ...

but also at

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier is a large multipurpose venue in Montreal, Quebec equipped with sophisticated technical equipment. It seats 2,982 people and is part of the Place des Arts cultural complex in Montréal's Quartier des Spectacles entertainme ...

and Théâtre Maisonneuve. Outside the city centre the OM plays in Saint-Laurent,

Outremont Outremont is an affluent residential borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. The neighbourhood is inhabited largely by fran ...

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada, situated in the east end of the island, generally to the south of the city's Olympic Stadium and east of downtown. Historically a poor neighbourhood, it has experienced significant ...

Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles is a suburban borough (''arrondissement'') on the eastern tip of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at the eastern end of the Island of Montreal. Geography The borough is located at ...

, Saint-Léonard,

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

Ahuntsic Ahuntsic (; French pronunciation ) is a district in the northern part of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Originally an independent village, Ahuntsic was first annexed by Montreal in 1910, then merged into the borough of Ahuntsic-Cartierville in 2002. ...

Pierrefonds-Roxboro Pierrefonds-Roxboro is a borough of the city of Montreal. It was created January 1, 2006, following the demerger of parts of the city. Geography It is composed of the former municipalities of Pierrefonds and Roxboro, spanning the northern par ...

and

Pointe-Claire Pointe-Claire (, ) is a Quebec local municipality within the Urban agglomeration of Montreal on the Island of Montreal in Canada. It is entirely developed, and land use includes residential, light manufacturing, and retail. As of the 2021 ce ...

History

The roots of the orchestra date to 1980, when the ensemble ''Les Variations'' became the official orchestra for the ''Concerts Lachine'' series. The ensemble consisted of young music graduates from Montreal conservatories. In 1981, ''Les Variations'' changed its name to the ''Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal'', with Robert Savoie as its first chairman (until 1985) and Hun Bang as its first executive director (until 1987). The orchestra's first music director was Marc Bélanger, from 1981 to 1986. Bélanger also served as artistic director from 1986 to 1987. The orchestra gave occasional concerts for its first few years, and staged its first regular season of concerts in 1985. The orchestra compressed its official name to the ''Orchestre Métropolitain'' in 1986. Also in 1986, the ''Choeur de l'Orchestre Métropolitain'' was formed, with Jacques Faubert as its first director. That same year, Agnès Grossmann became the OM's second music director, and its second artistic director the next year. She held both posts through 1995. During the 1980s and 1990s, the OM made a number of recordings for

Radio-Canada The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

and

Analekta Analekta is Canada's largest independent classical music recording label. The label, which takes its name from the Greek word ''analekta'' ("a collection of the finest works"), was founded in 1988 by the Canadian music industry manager and entre ...

. In 1993, the OM began its free summer concerts in Montreal parks and also performed in the Métro for the first time. Joseph Rescigno became the OM's artistic director in 1995, and held the post through 2000.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin Yannick Nézet-Séguin, CC (; born Yannick Séguin;David Patrick Stearns, "Nezet-Seguin signs Philadelphia Orchestra contract". ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', 19 June 2010. 6 March 1975) is a Canadian ( Québécois) conductor and pianist. He ...

took up the post of artistic director in 2000. Nézet-Séguin has conducted the OM in several commercial recordings for the ATMA Classique label, including symphonies of Anton Bruckner and Gustav Mahler. In April 2013, the OM announced the appointment of Julian Kuerti as its first-ever principal guest conductor, with an initial contract of three years. Following several contract extensions with Nézet-Séguin, in September 2019, the OM announced its contract with Nézet-Séguin as a lifetime contract. In January 2005, the OM and Nézet-Séguin received three Opus awards from the ''Conseil québécois de la musique'', two for their recording of Mahler's Symphony No. 4 and one for their concert performance of Alban Berg's ''

Wozzeck ''Wozzeck'' () is the first opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg. It was composed between 1914 and 1922 and first performed in 1925. The opera is based on the drama '' Woyzeck'', which the German playwright Georg Büchner left incomplete at ...

''. In October 2005, the OM received a Felix Prize from the ADISQ awards for their album of Kurt Weill, in collaboration with

Diane Dufresne Diane Dufresne, (born 30 September 1944) is a French Canadian singer and painter, and is known for singing a large repertoire of popular Quebec songs. Dufresne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She lived in Paris from 1965 to 1967 where ...

. In 2010, the OM won an Opus Award for their recording of Bruckner's Sympnony No. 9.

Music directors and artistic directors

* Marc Bélanger (1981-1986, Music Director; 1986-1987, Artistic Director) * Agnès Grossmann (1986-1995, Music Director; 1988-1995, Artistic Director) * Joseph Rescigno (1995-2000) *

(2000–"for life")

References

External links

Official OM homepage

Official OM history page

Canadian Encyclopedia page on the Orchestre Métropolitain

Atma record label page on the Orchestre Métropolitain
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orchestre Metropolitain Canadian orchestras Musical groups established in 1981 Musical groups from Montreal 1981 establishments in Quebec

History

Music directors and artistic directors

See also

References

External links