The Orchester Classique de Montréal (OCM) announced on Wednesday the appointment of Jacques Lacombe as its new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor as of 1er July 2023 for a period of five years. This is the first time that this position will not be occupied by a member of the Brott family.
“If ever we doubted the future of this orchestra, there it is clear that the future shines brightly,” exclaims general manager Taras Kulish, interviewed by The duty.
On this occasion, we can only salute the composure and temperance of management, the board of directors and the selection committee in a process of awarding a position that aroused unbridled desire. By this choice, taking into account the opinion of the musicians, the OCM has been able to attract a seasoned conductor who has proven himself in the symphonic and lyrical world.
Back to basics
“The chemistry between Jacques Lacombe and the musicians during the concert of the Heroic Symphony of Beethoven and the recording of the Ice Storm Symphony by Maxime Goulet is something you cannot invent. Jacques Lacombe arouses and gives great respect. This respect for people is very important for the musicians, the administrative staff and the board of directors”, summarizes Taras Kulish.
Jacques Lacombe is delighted to return to the repertoire of the chamber orchestra. “It’s a return to basics, because at the beginning of my career, I was associate conductor of the Amati ensemble, founded by Raymond Dessaints. I am delighted to revisit this repertoire,” he reminds the Duty.
My priority is to print a game style
To Boris Brott’s intense work on encounters with communities, Jacques Lacombe would like to add encounters with different art forms and the creation of a repertoire of Quebec and Canadian works. But the leader is not going to rush anything: “In all the positions I have held, I have taken care to learn about the history of the institution. I remember a sentence from Charles Dutoit in an interview: “An orchestra is like an ocean liner, you don’t turn like a bicycle.” »
By directing five or six of the seven annual shows, Jacques Lacombe became heavily involved: “My priority is to imprint a style of play. This is obviously done as the programs progress, and that’s why I decided to invest myself in a significant way. »
Anchor a name
Jacques Lacombe and Taras Kulish have been working to shape the next season since September 2022. We feel on both sides the desire to reserve an important place for vocal music, which has earned the orchestra a major success recently with the creation of the chamber opera The Torch by David Bontemps.
“The guidelines will be those of the last five years: new works and links to the community will remain. The diversification of the repertoire, Jacques Lacombe is immersed in it. We are not straying from what we were doing, but the next few years will define our trajectory. We need to stabilize the brand image of the OCM, which has only existed under this name for four years, and we must now anchor this name with that of Jacques and build a reputation through the quality of the concerts to attract the public. », Analyzes Taras Kulish. “It will take three to five years to cement all of this,” concludes the director of the OCM, who is already dreaming of touring Europe.
With great elegance, the OCM, in its press release, “warmly thanked Geneviève Leclair and Alain Trudel and the other guest chefs” for having ensured the transition during the current season. Alain Trudel, who led The Torch to success, has just been appointed to Trois-Rivières, where Jacques Lacombe completed a memorable mandate between 2006 and 2019.