The Conductors
Ludovic Morlot
Music Director
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Ludovic Morlot is now in his inaugural season as the Seattle Symphony’s Music Director, and he has quickly established a reputation as one of the leading conductors of his generation. In January 2012, he assumes a second post as Chief Conductor of La Monnaie/De Munt, one of the most prestigious opera houses in Europe. During 2012–2013, his first full season with La Monnaie, his programs will include Alfred Bruneau’s Requiem and his first performances of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.
A highlight this season includes a series of performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra — two consecutive subscription weeks followed by a West Coast tour of the U.S. that includes performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Morlot also appears regularly with the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has recently conducted the symphony orchestras of Philadelphia, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Morlot’s European debuts this season include the Orchestre National de France, the Dresdener Philharmonie, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He has also recently made successful debuts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Anne Sophie-Mutter (at the Royal Festival hall and on tour in Germany), the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestras, among others. Other recent notable performances include Staatskapelle Dresden, the Tonhalle Orchestra, the Budapest Festival Orchestras, and the Royal Stockholm and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestras. In addition, he has ongoing relationships with the Rotterdam Philharmonic and the Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris.
Morlot has recently collaborated with many distinguished singers, including Barbara Hannigan, Dawn Upshaw, Jessye Norman and Thomas Hampson; and with soloists including Christian Tetzlaff, Gil Shaham, Renaud Capuçon, Lynn Harrell, Frank Peter Zimmermann and Emanuel Ax.
Morlot has maintained a close working relationship with the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 2001, when he was the Seiji Ozawa Fellowship Conductor at the Tanglewood Music Center. He was subsequently appointed the orchestra’s assistant conductor, working with its Music Director, James Levine, and conducting several performances (2004–2007). Morlot served as conductor in residence with the Orchestre National de Lyon under David Robertson (2002–2004).
Trained as a violinist, Morlot studied conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London and then at the Royal College of Music as a recipient of the Norman del Mar Conducting Fellowship. He was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2007 in recognition of his significant contribution to music.
Morlot, his wife Ghizlane and their two children reside in Seattle.