The conductor of the Orchester Classique de Montréal (OCM), Boris Brott, was fatally hit by a speeding driver who fled on Tuesday in Hamilton, Ontario.
The 78-year-old Montreal musician was on foot when he was mowed down around 10:20 a.m. by a vehicle in the Durand district, while the 33-year-old driver was arrested in his escape on Elmwood Avenue.
Hamilton police announced on Twitter the opening of an investigation into the fatal accident, the seventh since the beginning of the year, but did not specify the identity of the victim who succumbed to his injuries to the ‘hospital.
The tragic death of this classical music icon was announced on the Orchester Classique de Montréal Facebook page as well as the Brott Music Festival Instagram account later in the day.
“The entire OCM family is in a state of shock and disbelief. Boris Brott was the heart and soul of the Orchester Classique de Montréal, an extraordinary ambassador of classical music, recognized beyond our borders”, reacted the Orchestra on social networks.
“He will be sorely missed by all who appreciated his unparalleled talent and by those who loved him,” the festival founded by the victim and his wife said in the terse statement.