Canaries call in Slatkin for stability
NewsThe orchestra of Gran Canaria has announced a continuity plan after a turbulent few years.
Press release:
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, June 15th 2022. The President of the Cabildo Government of Gran Canaria, Antonio Morales, has announced today that it has decided to extend Karel Mark Chichon’s contract as Chief Conductor & Artistic Director for a further two more seasons, that is, until July 2025, given the highly successful artistic partnership between the British conductor and the orchestra and so as to give continuity to the orchestra’s promising artistic goals.
At the same time, Karel Mark Chichon also announced today the appointment of Leonard Slatkin as the new Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria for the next three years. In so doing, Chichon announced his intention that Slatkin’s tenure will go hand in hand with his own mandate, both of which will end in July 2025.
Nice gig. I prefer Tenerife, but I love Gran Canaria also and have very happy memories of it. Gorgeous climate, beauty to spare, nice people.
……not a bad location for a gig!
Siskin and Canarie crossed.
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/identify-this/275618/siskin-x-canary-cross
Not a bad place to land a gig, or any variety. And the orchestra is much better than the locale — known mostly for partying by the surrounding mainland — has a first rate ensemble.
Completely agree with Jonathan.
As a local I can say the orchestra has really improved during Chichon’s time with them. It went through a bad patch with Pedro Halffter for 15 years after a few promising years with Adrian Leaper.
It’s clear from the Press Conference that it was Chichon’s idea to bring in Slatkin and even though Slatkin’s number of concerts is reduced to one next season and two concerts after it’s clear the orchestra is going places and Chichon is not thinking of his own career when he takes these decisions, unlike his predecessor Halffter who only took decisions for personal gain.
To announce a contract extension for Chichon at the same time as Slatkin as new principal guest is good news for everybody here! It’s refreshing to still see conductors who put their orchestras before their own agenda – it is a dying breed and Chichon has won a lot of points with this decision from the local point of view.
Lebrecht’s headline is rather misleading.
https://ofgrancanaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/desplegable-temporada-2223-ofgrancanaria.pdf
You only have to go the orchestra website to see Slatkin conducts only one concert next season. Surely nobody assumes that this will create stability for the Canaries.
If you can’t have the Big Apple, go for the Big Canary.