‘Tis the Season with Kent Nagano ^2024-2025

Kent Nagano is considered one of today’s outstanding conductors for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. He will be the next Chief conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE) in Madrid starting in September 2026 and is the newly appointed Principal Artistic Partner of Filarmonica Toscanini. In addition, he is committed together with Jan Vogler as Artistic Director of the Ring project “The Wagner Cycles” of Dresdner Musikfestspiele with Dresdner Festspielorchester and Concerto Köln alongside Jan Vogler. He has been Honorary Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin since 2006, Concerto Köln since 2019, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2021 and the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg since 2023 and is as patron of the Herrenchiemsee Festival.

As a much sought-after guest conductor, Kent Nagano regularly works with leading international orchestras worldwide, 2025/26 season highlights include several projects with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Maggio Musicale, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Opera de Paris, and the Philharmonia Orchestra, amongst others.

That Marie-Nicole Lemieux shines today at the pinnacle of the world’s vocal art is no surprise: both the singer and the woman radiate that aura reserved for the greatest!

The breadth of her voice, her beautifully sustained phrasing combined with flawless virtuosity allow her to triumph across diverse repertoires. Her early career was marked by Baroque music (Orphée et Eurydice, Giulio Cesare, Orlando Furioso…). Soon, the evolution of her voice enabled her to embrace the 19th-century French repertoire (Les Troyens, Samson et Dalila, Carmen, Werther…), Rossini (Tancredi, L’Italiana in Algeri…), Verdi (Falstaff, Il Trovatore, Un Ballo in Maschera, Aïda…) as well as Wagner (Der Ring des Nibelungen).

She pursues an international career that takes her to the world’s greatest opera stages (New York, Milan, London, Paris, Salzburg, Zurich, Vienna, Madrid, Brussels…) as well as concert halls, where Marie-Nicole Lemieux is invited to perform major symphonic works with the most prestigious orchestras and conductors.

Marie-Nicole Lemieux is a Chevalier of the National Order of Quebec, a Companion of Arts and Letters of Quebec, a member of the Order of Canada and of the Ordre de la Pléiade. She also holds an honorary doctorate from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi.

Vincent Boilard began playing music at 6 years of age, learning the recorder before embracing the oboe at 11. He hasn’t looked back since! He pursued his mastery of the instrument with Philippe Magnan in Quebec City and with Roland Perrenoud in Geneva. After winning First Prize at the Canadian Music Competition in 2006, he began to think seriously about turning professional. His fondest musical memory is of performing Mahler’s Symphony no. 1 with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. He first played with the OSM on July 15, 2015, accompanying the band Les Trois accords. His first tour with the OSM was also memorable: it was in 2016, the Orchestra was performing in the United States, and he was still on probation before becoming a permanent member of the orchestra. Maestro Nagano had the right words to encourage and support him in his endeavours. Vincent Boilard also teaches oboe at the Université de Montréal.

Principal trumpet with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1995, he has been featured frequently with the OSM, including tours to South America and at the Lincoln Center in New York.Paul has been featured with orchestras worldwide, including English Chamber Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra, Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, Venice Baroque Orchestra and Eastman Wind Ensemble. Merkelo’s first solo recording, A Simple Song was ranked #1 in Quebec’s classical recording chart in 2000. In 2004, Analekta released a highly praised second CD, Baroque Transcriptions, which was nominated by ADISQ for Best Classical Album of the Year. French Trumpet Concertos with OSM and Kent Nagano was nominated by the JUNO Awards in 2016. He is the founder of the Paul Merkelo Scholarship.

Associate principal cellist of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2011, Anna Burden has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and abroad as a soloist, chamber player, and orchestral musician. Solo appearances include performances with the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, the Washington Chamber Symphony, the Juilliard Orchestra, the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, the Oak Park Symphony Orchestra, and with musicians of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. A native of Chicago, Anna Burden studied with Hans Jensen, Joel Krosnick, Alan Stepansky, Richard Aaron, Darrett Adkins, and Nell Novak. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School, and a Professional Studies diploma from the Manhattan School of Music. She plays a cello made in 1929 by Carl Becker of Chicago. 

A native of Montreal, Serge Desgagnés has held the Principal Percussion chair of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1997, having collaborated with the OSM as early as 1982. A first prize winner in percussion and solfeggio at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, he also studied in New York with marimba master Leigh Howard Stevens. He initially performed with different ensembles in the Montreal area, including the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec, with whom he appeared as soloist, as well as several chamber music groups. Before joining the OSM, he occupied the Principal Percussion position with the Orchestre Métropolitain. He has also taught percussion at the Faculté de Musique de l’Université de Montréal.