Young Toronto Conductor gets Montrˆ©al Symphony Appointment

AWARD-WINNING YOUNG TORONTO CONDUCTOR NATHAN BROCK

APPOINTED ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR OF MONTREAL SYMPHONY

Toronto, July 3, 2009 ’Äì Nathan Brock, 30, has been named assistant conductor of l’ÄôOrchestre Symphonique de Montrˆ©al. He will take up residence in Montreal this month and assist Maestro Kent Nagano during the symphony’Äôs busy summer at the Lanaudiˆ®re and Knowlton festivals.

The orchestra members and Maestro Nagano chose Brock, who is currently based in Zˆºrich, Switzerland, from a field of more than 40 internationally based candidates. He will work closely with Maestro Nagano and guest conductors during the symphony’Äôs 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons in Montreal. In addition, he will conduct family, education, outreach, and symphonic concert programs.

His first OSM concert, also his Canadian debut, will be with soprano Marie-Josˆ©e Lord at Montreal’Äôs Notre Dame Cathedral, December 15 and 16, 2009.

Brock is currently an instructor and assistant to Professor J. Schlaefli, leader of the orchestral conducting program at the Hochschule der Kˆºnste in Zˆºrich, Switzerland.

About his return to Canada and the new position, he commented, ’ÄúThe OSM is highly regarded in Europe, largely because of its Decca recordings, which it made under former conductor Charles Dutoit. I look forward to playing a role as the orchestra continues to blaze new trails under Maestro Nagano.’Äù

Born in Toronto in 1978, Nathan Brock began his varied musical training at an early age, first as a drummer/percussionist, continuing on piano, and treble and bass viola da gamba, and finally cello. Holding an Honours BA in History and a performance certificate in Music from the University of Toronto, where he studied cello with Shauna Rolston, he began conducting in 2002 and moved to Switzerland the following year to complete his studies in orchestral conducting at the Zˆºrcher Hochschule der Kˆºnste. Through this program, he conducted many concerts across Europe. He has also conducted concerts in the U.S. and Mexico.

With the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Nathan Brock conducted in master classes around the world with such great conductor/pedagogues as Jorma Panula, Bernard Haitink, Gennady Rozhdestvensky and Michael Tilson Thomas. He received his first formal training at the Pierre Monteux School, and has twice been invited as a fellow by David Zinman to the American Academy of Conducting at the Aspen Music Festival.

From 2003 to 2008, he served as founding artistic director and conductor of the Northern Lights Music Festival in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Brock won the 2007 Bern Chamber Orchestra’Äôs young conductors’Äô competition and was one of six finalists in a field of more than 150 at Spain’Äôs eighth Cadaquˆ©s International Conducting Competition in May 2006.

Quebec native Stˆ©phane LaForest has also been named assistant conductor of the OSM, and begins in September.