Orchestre National de Bretagne Names New Music Director

Canadian conductor Nicolas Ellis will step into the role at the opening of the 2024/25 season

Canadian conductor Nicolas Ellis has already worked with the Orchestre National de Bretagne on several occasions over the past three seasons, with appearances including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and Mahler, as well as contemporary commissions by Alexis Savelief and Katia Makdissi-Warren.

Ellis is presently Artistic Director and Conductor of the Orchestre de l’Agora, and was recently named Principal Guest Conductor for Les Violons du Roy. He also served as the Artistic Partner to the Orchestre Métropolitain and conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin from 2018 to 2023.

In the current season, Ellis will make debuts with the Luxembourg Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic, Ensemble Resonanz, and San Diego Symphony. Additionally, he will lead the operas Le Nozze di Figaro and  L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Opéra de Montréal, as well as Die Fledermaus at Opéra de Québec.

"It is an honor to be appointed Music Director of the Orchestre National de Bretagne," Ellis said. "Having quickly developed a bond with the musicians during my three visits as a guest conductor, and immediately falling under the spell of the beautiful Breton landscape, I am very excited to embark on this adventure and to continue to develop my relationship with the orchestra."

"I thank the ONB for its trust and I look forward to seeing the public again very soon."