Conductor Mélanie Léonard (Image: Submitted)
After a three-year search, Symphony New Brunswick has selected Mélanie Léonard to be its new music director.
More than 50 conductors from Canada, the U.S. and Europe applied for the provincial symphony’s position.
In a released statement Monday, Symphony New Brunswick president Reid Parker noted Léonard has the experience and vision to take the orchestra to the next level and become a more prominent player in Canada’s orchestra scene.
The symphony’s music director position includes outreach and community development duties, which Léonard is eager to accept.
“I am so excited for this new challenge, building new relationships, and expanding my experience as a professional musician,” says Léonard. “But also, on a human level, I feel it’s important to grow and seek out opportunities to push ourselves, and working with Symphony New Brunswick is definitely going to do that.”
Léonard is the first woman to receive a doctorate in orchestral conducting from l’Université de Montréal and has worked with renowned artists such as Shauna Rolston, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Herbie Hancock and Isabel Bayrakdarian.
She has conducted many major symphony orchestras across Canada, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Les Violons du Roy.
Symphony New Brunswick was one of the few orchestras in Canada that continued to perform live throughout the pandemic. Its 70th-anniversary fundraising campaign was incredibly successful and attracted support for an endowment that gives the symphony a foundation to continue to grow.
“We have a role beyond music,” says Léonard. “We fit into an artistic and an even greater ecosystem. I want to implement projects and ideas that are inclusive. I want every single person in New Brunswick to feel welcome at the orchestra.”
Léonard’s first performance with Symphony New Brunswick is planned for October 22, where she will conduct music of Mozart, Hétu and Schubert.
