Gardiner’s assistant wins Canada job
OrchestrasThe National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa has named Henry Kennedy, 27, to the new position of Resident Conductor. The job was open only to Canadians.
Kennedy, from Nova Scotia, was assistant conductor last summer to Sir John Eliot Gardiner for Berlioz’s opera Les Troyens, a production from which Gardiner withdrew after a violent incident.
In Ottawa he will be second in command to music director Alexander Shelley.
An admirable choice on Ottawa’s part. Just hope it won’t be long before Kennedy has an opportunity to conduct in London again. The Bruckner 4 he conducted at St John’s, Smith Square, with his hand-picked orchestra of players from London’s music colleges was unforgettable. Riccardo Muti no less has chosen him to conduct a series of Tosca performances in Italy later this year. Wake up UK!
Surely this young conductor has more credentials than the stint with Gardiner to recommend him?
Indeed, he does. https://nac-cna.ca/en/stories/story/henry-kennedy-appointed-first-resident-conductor-of-nac-orchestra