North Carolina Symphony Music Director Grant Llewellyn has added a music directorship in addition to his ongoing work with the North Carolina Symphony. Beginning in September, 2015, Llewellyn will assume the position of Music Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, headquartered in Brittany, France. His responsibilities in Brittany will complement his ongoing conducting commitment to the North Carolina Symphony, and will streamline his existing international guest conducting responsibilities.
“I love my work at the North Carolina Symphony, an orchestra dedicated to serving the people of its state, and my commitment here is unwavering,” Llewellyn said. “This is an exciting new opportunity for me to collaborate with an orchestra based on a very similar model, with a close relationship between its region and people. I look forward to celebrating great music and sharing my experiences with audiences on both sides of the Atlantic for seasons to come.”
“This appointment to the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne marks an exciting new chapter in Grant’s European career and offers a valuable opportunity for cultural exchange,” said North Carolina Symphony President & CEO Sandi Macdonald. “We could not be more pleased to learn of this great honor for our wonderful music director.”
The position in Brittany allows Llewellyn to build on his Celtic roots. He has always maintained close links with his homeland Wales, where he continues to reside, and was attracted to the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne’s wide-ranging mission within Brittany. The orchestra is an invaluable institution in the region, bringing world-renowned music-making to its cities and villages, and championing Breton music past and present. It is also respected at national and international levels, a frequent fixture at some of the world’s greatest concert halls, including the Southbank Centre, Lincoln Centre, Tokyo International Forum, Rudolfinum in Prague and Konzerthaus in Vienna.
Llewellyn, who has been Music Director of the North Carolina Symphony since 2004, began his work in the United States in 1985, when he won a Conducting Fellowship at the Tanglewood Music Center in Massachusetts and worked with Bernstein, Ozawa, Masur, and Previn. He went on to become Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and conducted many other ensembles across North America. His contract with the North Carolina Symphony is through 2018.
Prior to his appointment to the position in Brittany, Llewellyn held three permanent positions in Europe to date: Principal Conductor of the Royal Flanders Philharmonic, Principal Guest Conductor of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and Associate Guest Conductor with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
(Press release courtesy of the NC Symphony)
