Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) has announced the appointment of Nova Scotian conductor Henry Kennedy to the new position of Resident Conductor. A native of New Glasgow, NS, Kennedy will begin his two-year term at the start of the 2024-25 season.
More than 50 submissions were received from eligible Canadians and Permanent Residents. From the long list, five finalists were auditioned. Feedback from the orchestra members and the Artistic Advisory Committee was considered, and the final decision was made by Music Director Alexander Shelley.
“This appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the National Arts Centre, as we expand our suite of professional development opportunities for Canadian artists,” says Nelson McDougall, NACO Managing Director.
“The number of applicants for this position shows the need for increased collaboration from Orchestra across Canada to support the next generation of Canadian conductors, and we are already moving on plans to achieve this for the many talented young conductors we discovered through this process. By adding this new role to existing programs, like our NACO Mentorship Program, and programs we support such as Tapestry Opera’s Women in Musical Leadership Program, the international Maestra and Malko competitions, and OAcademy, we are maximizing efforts towards the development of young conductors. There is nothing more important than top-flight, hands-on work for a conductor in the early stages of their career.”
Maestro Henry Kennedy
From Nova Scotia, Kennedy has studied and pursued his career largely in the U.K. to this point. The 27 year-old was Conductor of Poland’s Wroclaw Opera for the 2022-23 season, and in the summer of 2023, served as Assistant Conductor to Sir John Eliot Gardiner for Berlioz’s opera Les Troyens. That production toured to the Berlioz Festival, Salzburg Festival, The Royal Opera of Versailles, Berliner Philharmonie, and BBC Proms.
Later this year, he’ll be conducting performances of Tosca in Italy with Orchestra Cherubini in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Puccini’s death, and making his debut with the Warsaw Radio Orchestra.
Other notable achievements:
- Henry is the founder of the London, UK-based Resonate Symphony Orchestra, and has served as music director since 2017;
- He holds a Master of Arts in conducting and a Bachelor of Music in clarinet from the Royal Academy of Music, London;
- He studied conducting under Riccardo Muti, and assisting several prominent conductors around the world.
Henry will travel to Ottawa during the summer during the NAC Orchestra’s summer concert series, and makes his official start in September.
Henry Kennedy says, “I feel greatly honoured to be joining the National Arts Centre Orchestra as their Resident Conductor. I will never forget the lightning bolt response I received from the Orchestra in the audition when I gave the downbeat for the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. From the beginning to the end of the audition, I felt a musical electricity that I have never experienced before. This position offers a unique opportunity to work alongside some of the world’s finest musicians and contribute to the vibrant cultural landscape of Canada. I look forward to a period of immense growth and artistic collaboration in the beautiful city of Ottawa.”
Along with working with Alexander Shelley as his mentee, Kennedy will also be assistant conductor to Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds and Principal Youth Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser, and he’ll be part of a conductor exchange program with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Alexander Shelley, NACO Music Director, commented, “I am delighted to be welcoming Henry to our artistic team. During his audition he demonstrated wonderful technique and poise in front of the orchestra and spoke eloquently about the role of the conductor in the community and about the importance of music to us all. He joins us at an exciting moment in his career as his work across the pond in the UK and Europe continues to blossom. I am confident that our audiences in Ottawa and across Canada will benefit greatly from his artistry. Welcome, Henry!”
Congratulations to Henry and the NAC Orchestra on their upcoming adventures.
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