Guest Conductor
Yan Pascal Tortelier is principal conductor of the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and enjoys a distinguished career as a guest with the world's most prestigious orchestras.
He began his musical career as a violinist and at age 14 won first prize at the Paris Conservatoire and made his debut as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, Mr. Tortelier studied conducting with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, and from 1974 to 1983 served as associate conductor of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. He went on to become principal conductor and artistic director of the Ulster Orchestra (1989-1992) and principal guest conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2005-2008). Following his outstanding work as chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic between 1992 and 2003, including annual appearances at the BBC Proms and a very successful tour of the United States to celebrate the orchestra's 60th anniversary season, he received the title Conductor Emeritus. He continues to work with the orchestra regularly, and holds the position of principal guest conductor at the Royal Academy of Music in London as well.
Mr. Tortelier has collaborated with major orchestras, including the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala Milan, and in North America, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Boston, Chicago, and Montreal symphony orchestras. Further afield he has collaborated with the Melbourne Symphony, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, and the Hong Kong and Malaysian philharmonic orchestras.
Recent highlights have included return visits to the Minnesota Orchestra, the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony, and a major European tour with the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra, including the Vienna Musikverein, Salzburg Festspielhaus, the Frankfurt Alte Oper, and the Cologne Philharmonie.
Highlights this season and beyond include U.K. concerts and a tour of China with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, a tour of South America with the Sao Paulo Symphony, return visits to the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra, the Halle Orchestra, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Danish National, St. Louis, and Baltimore symphony orchestras.
Mr. Tortelier has enjoyed a long association with Chandos Records, resulting in an extensive catalogue of recordings, notably with the BBC Philharmonic and Ulster Orchestras, and including award-winning cycles of the orchestral music of Debussy, Ravel (featuring his own orchestration of Ravel's Piano Trio), Franck, Roussel, and Dutilleux. He has also conducted critically acclaimed discs of repertoire ranging from Hindemith and Kodaly to Lutoslawski and Karlowicz. Recent releases for Chandos include the Ravel piano concertos coupled with Debussy's Fantaisie, with pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, and a disc of works by Florent Schmitt with the Sao Paulo Symphony.