When Pichas Zukerman steps down at the end of the 2014-15 season, he will be replaced by 30-something British conductor Alexander Shelley as music director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Shelley has been a guest conductor with the Ottawans a couple of times in recent seasons. He has expressed an interest in raising the organization’s profile nationally as well as internationally, and appears to be interested in commissioning new works from Canadian composers.
“My collaboration with the exceptional musicians of the NAC Orchestra has, from the first moment, been both tremendously exciting and fulfilling,” stated Shelley in a press release. “I could not be more delighted to be assuming the music directorship of this dynamic institution with which I share so many ambitions: to engage with audiences and communities around the whole of this beautiful country, to promote and support the creation of new Canadian work and, with the help of the extraordinary musical talent in this country, to further cement the highest of artistic standards.”
Shelley’s appointment comes after a two-year search for a new music director.
Said National Arts Centre CEO Peter Herrndorff: “He is an exceptionally gifted musician, with a wide range of experience and a strong emphasis on the creation of new work and community engagement.”
Zukerman’s long tenure — he took the position in 1999 — has been marked by significant accomplishments, including highly regarded educational outreach initiatives. There have also been problems, such as when Zukerman walked away from the job for six months without warning during the 2005-06 season. He said at the time that he needed a rest, but spent those six months busily working in other cities.
The National Arts Centre typically visits Toronto once every concert season, part of a three-city exchange with the Toronto Symphony and Montreal Symphony Orchestras.
John Terauds