The French-born conductor, PASCAL VERROT holds the post of Music Director of France’s Orchestre de Picardie as well as the Principal Conductor of Japan’s Sendai Philharmonic. Previously, he held the post of Chief Conductor of the Japan Shinsei Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, a group which has subsequently merged with the Tokyo Philharmonic. He was Music Director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra from 1991 to 1997 and prior to that, he was Assistant Conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for four seasons.
Born in Lyon, France in 1959, Mr. Verrot holds degrees both from the Sorbonne University in Paris and the Paris Conservatory where he studied for four years with Jean-Sebastien Bereau, winning first prize in the conducting competition. He also studied for three years with the late Franco Ferrara at the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna, Italy.
Pascal Verrot made his international debut in 1985 when he was prizewinner at the Min-On Conducting Competition in Tokyo. Since then, his guest conducting appearances have included many performances in Japan, in France and in North America. Mr. Verrot has conducted several North American renowned ensembles that include the Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Utah Symphony, San Antonio Symphony and Pacific Symphony Orchestras. His native country of France has offered him numerous occasions to lead major orchestras both in Paris and in Provence.
He made his operatic debut in the lyric repertoire, conducting Die Fliedermaus at the Lyon Opera House. He also led The Marriage of Figaro in Paris at the City of Music with the Conservatoire Superieur Orchestra. Recently he conducted the three Mozart-Da Ponte opera, Gounod’s Faust at the inauguration of the new Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande in France; Lakme at Paris’ Opera Comique and Massenet’s Don Quixote; Magic Flute in Lille and Madam Butterfly in Nantes and Nancy.
His recordings include one for Erato featuring tenor Luca Canonici with the Lyon Opera Orchestra and Chorus, while his recordings with the Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec include an all-Roussel recording. Recently, he made a disc featuring piano concertos by film music composers with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, and another one with the Orchestre de Bretagne as a special tribute to French composer J. Guy Ropartz as well as a recording with the Lorraine Philharmonic featuring music of Brahms and Beethoven.
May 2010
