Montreal Symphony Orchestra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Montreal Symphony Orchestra |
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| Orchestra | |
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| Native name | Orchestre symphonique de Montréal |
| Former name | Les Concerts Symphoniques |
| Founded | 1935 |
| Location | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Concert hall | Montreal Symphony House |
| Music director | Rafael Payare |
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (also known as French: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal or OSM) is a famous Canadian symphony orchestra. It is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A symphony orchestra is a large group of musicians who play classical music together.
The orchestra's main home is the Montreal Symphony House. This building is part of Place des Arts. The Montreal Symphony Orchestra is special because it is the only orchestra in the world that owns an octobass. An octobass is a very large string instrument that makes extremely low sounds.
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History of the Orchestra
Before the current Montreal Symphony Orchestra, there were other orchestras in the city. One started in 1897 and another in 1930. The orchestra we know today began in 1934. It was formed by Wilfrid Pelletier and was first called Les Concerts Symphoniques.
Their very first concert was on January 14, 1935. It was led by conductor Rosario Bourdon. The orchestra changed its name to the Montreal Symphony Orchestra in 1954. In the early 1960s, a kind supporter named John Wilson McConnell bought a very old and valuable violin. It was a 1727 Laub-Petschnikoff Stradivarius. He bought it for Calvin Sieb, who was the orchestra's lead violinist at the time.
The orchestra started to travel and make recordings in the 1960s and early 1970s. This was when Zubin Mehta and Franz-Paul Decker were leading the group. In 1975, during Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos's time as music director, the OSM was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall is a very famous concert venue in New York City.
New Music Directors and Tours
After Frühbeck de Burgos left, Charles Dutoit became the music director in 1977. Dutoit became friends with a record producer, which led to a long partnership with Decca/London records. For twenty years, Dutoit and the OSM made many recordings. They also went on tours all over the world. They visited North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.
Their recordings of French music, especially by Maurice Ravel, became very famous. They also recorded works by Stravinsky and Debussy. The OSM and Charles Dutoit won many awards for their recordings. These included the Grand Prix du Président de la République from France. They also won Grammy awards in 1996 and 2000. They received several Juno Awards and Felix Awards too.
In 2002, Charles Dutoit left his role as music director. He did not return to conduct the OSM again until 2016. After Dutoit left, Jacques Lacombe was the main guest conductor from 2002 to 2006. In 2003, the orchestra announced that Kent Nagano would be their new music director starting in 2006.
Nagano gave his first concert in Montreal as the new director in 2005. With the OSM, Nagano made recordings for labels like ECM New Series. In 2017, the OSM announced that Nagano would finish his time as music director at the end of the 2019–2020 season. His final concerts were cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, the orchestra went on a special tour. They visited several Cree and Inuit communities in Nord-du-Québec. They performed an opera called Chaakapesh: The Trickster's Quest. This opera was created by Tomson Highway and Matthew Ricketts. A documentary film called Chaakapesh was made about this tour.
In 2018, Rafael Payare conducted the OSM as a guest for the first time. He came back to conduct again in 2019. In January 2021, the OSM announced that Payare would be their next music director. He officially started this role in the 2022-2023 season.
The orchestra also worked with the band Les Cowboys Fringants in 2023. They released a live album together. This album won the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year in 2024.
Music Directors and Leaders
- Wilfrid Pelletier (1935–1940)
- Désiré Defauw (1941–1952)
- Otto Klemperer (1950–1953; Artistic Advisor)
- Igor Markevitch (1957–1961)
- Zubin Mehta (1961–1967)
- Franz-Paul Decker (1967–1975)
- Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (1975–1976)
- Charles Dutoit (1977–2002)
- Kent Nagano (2006–2020)
- Rafael Payare (2022–present)
See also
In Spanish: Orquesta Sinfónica de Montreal para niños
- List of symphony orchestras
- Canadian classical music
- Culture of Quebec
- List of Quebec musicians
- Music of Quebec
- St. Lawrence Choir
- John Zirbel
