Sportissimo!

Working at the highest levels of the Canadian music scene, award-winning conductor Adam Johnson has been hailed as “an exciting talent” and for his “charismatic and commanding presence” on the podium. A highly-sought leader, he is Music Director of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and Guelph Symphony Orchestra. He completed his tenure as resident conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (OSM) in 2019, and has conducted over 80 concerts with the OSM. He recorded his first full album, Riopelle Symphonique, with the OSM in 2022 and won an Opus Prize with the famed orchestra in 2018. Prior to his tenure in Montreal, Dr. Johnson worked for three seasons with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and continues to regularly guest conduct orchestras across Canada. Internationally, Adam Johnson has conducted at the Opéra National de Paris and has led orchestras in Spain, Germany and the United States.

Known for his extraordinary versatility, Dr. Johnson has conducted sold-out concerts with dozens of leading artists in a wide range of styles from pop to jazz to Broadway. He is also regularly invited to studio record with orchestras for major international projects and even recorded for virtual reality. He has been the Mécénat Musica Educator-in-Residence since 2019, creating educational materials for music educators and offering workshops and performances to increase the quantity and quality of music education for youth. A recipient of a Canada Council conducting award, he holds a doctorate in piano performance from the Université de Montréal and a prize in orchestral conducting from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.

Jean-Willy Kunz, Organist-in-Residence with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, is responsible for the development and enhancement of the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique. He has performed as a soloist with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Les Violons du Roy and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and has premiered works by significant composers. Owing to his various interests, Jean-Willy Kunz is involved in numerous projects that bring a fresh perspective to the organ: jazz with saxophonist Branford Marsalis; pop with Pierre Lapointe; stage music with Cirque du Soleil; contemporary music with Quatuor Bozzini; or Baroque music with Ensemble Caprice. His discography includes several recordings that demonstrate the versatility of his musical influences, notably Symphonie et créations for organ and orchestra with the OSM (Juno award, 2016). Jean-Willy Kunz is Professor of Organ at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and Artistic Director of the Canadian International Organ Competition.