Maestro move: Geneva names four-jobs Brit chief

The next music and artistic director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is to be Jonathan Nott. He succeeds Neeme Järvi at an orchestra that has long failed to punch the weight its finances could buy.

Nott is presently Principal Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (since 2000), Music Director of the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra (since 2014) and Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (since 2014). He’s not saying which, if any, of these he’s giving up when he starts work in Geneva in 2016-17.

From the press release:

Jonathan Nott named Music and Artistic Director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Geneva, 28 January 2015 / Neeme Järvi’s successor at the head of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande will be British conductor Jonathan Nott. Elected new Music and Artistic Director by the overwhemling majority of the orchestra’s musicians and board members, Jonathan Nott will take up his post in the 2016-2017season.

Jonathan Nott says: “It is with huge anticipation and pleasure that I take up this appointment with the distinguished Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Why anticipation? Because nothing can give a greater sense of freedom to a Music Director, about to embark on a long journey with his orchestra, than the total commitment of his players. So I enter this relationship knowing that I have their overwhelming support to work long and hard together, exploring familiar and new repertoire, and ensuring that this fine ensemble is recognised as one of the foremost in the orchestral scene.”