Important dates
1981: Orchestra is formed.
1986: Agnès Grossmann becomes Artistic Director. The Orchestre Métropolitain Choir
is formed.
1988: Beginning of the OM tours in the Montréal Urban Community.
1992: First schools matinées.
1993: Launching of the first summer season: Free concerts in public parks.
1995: Joseph Rescigno becomes Artistic Director.
1998: Multidisciplinary concerts begin.
2000: Yannick Nézet-Séguin becomes Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of
the OM.
25 years of community involvement
and widely recognized artistry
The 2005-2006 season is the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal’s 25th,
and the stage is set to make it the most remarkable season in all its history.
The high level of artistry of the OM and of its young and talented Montreal-born
Artistic Director Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin was resoundingly acclaimed at the
Conseil québécois de la musique’s Gala on January 30th 2005. Wherever he
conducts, Yannick Nézet-Séguin is received not only with enthusiasm by music lovers and
critics; he is equally able to bring the musicians under his direction to surpass
themselves. Concert after concert, he has proven that his immense and widely-recognized
talent brings the best out of the OM, making the qualities which distinguish it plain
for all to hear.
Founded in 1981 by some of the best graduating musicians from Quebec’s
conservatories and music faculties, the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand
Montreal’s mission is to make classical music accessible to a wide public. The
Orchestra’s inaugural season took place in the context of the Concerts de Lachine
whose Artistic Director, Robert Savoie, played a crucial role in the development of the
formation. The OM’s presence in Montreal boroughs never ceased to grow since that
time, and now each year the Orchestra presents some 30 concerts in the city’s
municipalities, in addition to performing with such organisations as the Opéra de
Montréal, the Orford Centre for the Arts, and the Lanaudière Festival.
In the course of 25 years of activity, four conductors have taken over the position
of Artistic Director: Marc Bélanger, Agnès Grossman, Joseph Rescigno, and Yannic
Nézet-Séguin. The latter was named Principal Conductor in 2000 at the age of 25. It is
impossible here to name all the people who contributed to the OM’s growth and
development over the years; they notably include Hun Bang, Gilles Vigneault, Joseph
Rouleau, Mario Duschênes, Raffi Armenian, Serge Garant, Pierre Péladeau and Jean-Pierre
Goyer, as well as all those who sat or still sit on the Orchestra’s Board of
Directors. It is also important to mention that more than a third of the original core
of musicians still performs with the Orchestra.
The Orchestre Metropolitain du Grand Montréal supports artists from Quebec and the
rest of Canada and notably, young talent from across the country. That is why, each
season, the Orchestra invites young and upcoming guest soloists and conductors to
perform or even premiere key works of the orchestral repertoire. Over the years, the
Orchestra has also associated itself with diverse artists such as Mstislav
Rostropovitch, Michel Legrand, Luciano Pavarotti, Léo Ferré and, more recently, Diane
Dufresne.
The Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal is proud of its many accomplishments
over the past 25 years.
