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Louis Langrée (born 11 January 1961) is a French conductor. He is the son of organist and theorist Alain Langrée.


Biography


Early years

Langrée studied at the Strasbourg Conservatory, but had no formal academic training in conducting. He began his career as a vocal coach and assistant at the Opéra National de Lyon, from 1983 to 1986. He then worked as an assistant conductor at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and held a comparable post with the
Bayreuth Festival The Bayreuth Festival () is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of stage works by the 19th-century German composer Richard Wagner are presented. Wagner himself conceived and promoted the idea of a special ...
. From 1989 to 1992, he was an assistant conductor with l'
Orchestre de Paris The Orchestre de Paris () is a French orchestra based in Paris. The orchestra currently performs most of its concerts at the Philharmonie de Paris. History In 1967, following the dissolution of the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du ...
.


UK and Europe

In Europe and the UK, Langrée has been music director of the Orchestre de Picardie (1993–1998), the Opéra National de Lyon (1998–2000), Glyndebourne Touring Opera (1998–2003), and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège (2001–2006). In June 2011, Langrée was named principal conductor of the Camerata Salzburg, effective September 2011, with an initial contract of 5 seasons. Langrée was the most recent conductor to hold the title of principal conductor of the Camerata Salzburg, and stood down from the post in 2016. In October 2021, the
French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...
announced the appointment of Langrée as the next music director of the Théâtre national de l'
Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique () is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular Théâtre de la foire, theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief riva ...
, effective 1 November 2021, with an initial contract of 5 years.


United States

Langrée made his first US conducting appearance in 1991 at the Spoleto Festival USA. In December 2002, he was named music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival (
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5  ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
), and formally took up the post in the summer of 2003. In March 2005, his initial contract with Mostly Mozart was extended to 2008. His contract with Mostly Mozart, previously through 2017, was further extended, in April 2017, through 2020. In July 2019, the festival announced the extension of Langrée's contract through 2023. Langrée concluded his tenure as music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival in the summer of 2023, the last music director of the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra with the orchestra under that name. Langrée first guest-conducted the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in March 2011. Based on that appearance, in April 2012, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra appointed Langrée its 13th music director, as of the 2013–2014 season, with an initial contract of 4 years. He assumed the title of music director designate with immediate effect. In March 2015, the Cincinnati Symphony announced the extension of Langrée's contract as music director through the 2019–2020 season. In February 2017, the orchestra further extended his Cincinnati contract through the 2021–2022 season. In January 2020, the Cincinnati Symphony announced the newest extension of his contract, through the 2023-2024 season. In June 2021, the Cincinnati Symphony announced that Langrée is to conclude his tenure as its music director at the close of the 2023-2024 season.


Recordings

Langrée has made several recordings for Virgin Classics, with the Orchestra of the Opera National de Lyon, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Camerata Salzburg and Le Concert d'Astrée. With the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, he has recorded for Universal/Accord symphonies of Franck and Chausson, piano concertos of Liszt, Ravel and Schulhoff (soloist, Claire-Marie Le Guay), and for the Cypress label, works for clarinet and orchestra by Mozart, Rossini and Weber (soloist, Jean-Luc Votano). Several of his recordings have received awards, including the ''Victoire de la musique'', MIDEM, '' Diapason d'Or'', and '' Gramophone'' awards. Langrée was a co-recipient of the Best Musical Achievement for Opera award from the
Royal Philharmonic Society The Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) is a British music society, formed in 1813. Its original purpose was to promote performances of instrumental music in London. Many composers and performers have taken part in its concerts. It is now a memb ...
for his conducting of the 2001 Glyndebourne Opera production of ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
''. In 2007, he was a winner of the ''Grand Prix Antoine Livio de la Presse Musicale Internationale''. With the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Langrée has recorded music commissioned for the orchestra by Zhou Tian, Thierry Escaich, and Sebastian Currier.


Personal life

Langrée and his wife Aimée Clark-Langrée, a writer for French television, have two children. The family resides in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. In 2006, Langrée was made a
Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres The Order of Arts and Letters () is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is the recognition of significant ...
.


References


External links

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Askonas Holt agency biography of Louis Langrée

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra biography of Louis Langrée
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langree, Louis 1961 births French male conductors (music) Living people Musicians from Mulhouse Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Knights of the Legion of Honour 21st-century French conductors (music) 21st-century French male musicians Erato Records artists Music directors of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra