Ludovic Morlot’s élan, elegance and intensity on stage have endeared him to audiences and orchestras worldwide, from the Berliner Philharmonic to the Boston Symphony. Music Director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra since September 2021, he is concurrently Conductor Emeritus of the Seattle Symphony (where he was Music Director 2011-2019) and has been Associate Artist of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019. He was Artistic Director and a founding member of the National Youth Orchestra of China 2017-2021, conducting their inaugural concerts at Carnegie Hall and in China in 2017, and touring with them to Europe in 2019. He was Chief Conductor of La Monnaie 2012-2014 conducting new productions in Brussels and at the Aix Easter Festival – including La Clemenza di Tito, Jenůfa and Pelléas et Mélisande.
In 25/26 Morlot takes the Barcelona Symphony to the Stuttgart Liederhalle, Hamburg Elbphilharmonie and Tonhalle Düsseldorf. Following the successful launch of their second Ravel CD last spring which coincided with the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth, they continue their acclaimed Ravel CD cycle and champion the best of the Catalan composers on the orchestra’s own label. He returns to the BBC Philharmonic for three projects including Stravinsky Sacre du Printemps at the Aviva Factory, John Adams’ Harmonielehre in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom and Cassandra Miller’s Viola Concerto at Bridgewater Hall.
"this new album confirms the affinity of conductor Ludovic Morlot with the music of Maurice Ravel…the character of the Music Director and his fine Barcelona orchestra showing rigor and expressiveness, dynamic volubility, and a colourist appetite that make Ravel's shimmering spells sparkle."
Le monde
february 2025
Guesting this season includes Gothenburg Symphony (debut) and the BBC Scottish, Bournemouth, Aalborg, South Netherlands, and Pacific symphonies and the Naples and Seoul Philharmonic orchestras. He returns to the Seattle Opera for their new production of Carmen after a great success with Rheingold, Die Walküre and Samson et Dalila in the past 3 years.
Last season’s highlights included debuts with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and at the Dallas Opera for Pelleas et Melisande, and return visits to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Orchestre National de Lyon. Morlot has previously guested with the Berliner Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Czech Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, London Philharmonic, and Budapest Festival orchestras, and with many of the leading North American orchestras, notably the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago, and Philadelphia Symphony Orchestras. Morlot has a particularly strong connection with Boston, having been the Seiji Ozawa Fellowship Conductor at Tanglewood and subsequently appointed assistant conductor for the Boston Symphony. He has since conducted the orchestra in subscription concerts, at Tanglewood, and on a tour to the west coast of America. He has also appeared extensively in Asia and Australasia, notably with Yomiuri Nippon Symphony and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. Festival appearances include the BBC Proms, Wien Modern, Edinburgh, Aspen, and Grant Park festivals.
Morlot’s tenure in Seattle formed a hugely significant period in the orchestra’s musical journey and he still returns for several weeks each season. His innovative programming encompassed not only his choice of repertoire and commissions, but theatrical productions and performances outside the traditional concert hall space. Some of these projects, including John Luther Adams’ Become Ocean, Aaron Jay Kernis’ Violin Concerto performed by James Ehnes and an exploration of Dutilleux’s music, have earned the orchestra five Grammy Awards, as well as the distinction of being named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. To date, Morlot has released 21 recordings with the Seattle Symphony Media label, including Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux etoiles in 2023.
Trained as a violinist, he studied conducting at the Pierre Monteux School (USA) with Charles Bruck and Michael Jinbo. He continued his education in London at the Royal Academy and then at the Royal College as recipient of the Norman del Mar Conducting Fellowship. Ludovic is Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington School of Music in Seattle and a Visiting Artist at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. He sat on the jury of the Leeds International Piano Competition (2021) and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2014 in recognition of his significant contribution to music.
For information only. Official publicity material available from Intermusica.