Emmanuel Villaume Appointed Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra

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New role follows his appointment in october 2008 as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra

Emmanuel Villaume has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra that is based in Bratislava . He will begin his tenure with the orchestra during the 2009-10 season with three programs featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, Poulenc’s Gloria and Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Mr. Villaume will gradually increase his presence with the orchestra over the next few years.

Founded in 1949, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra marks its 60th anniversary during the 2009-10 season. The Orchestra resides in the Baroque-era Reduta Concert Hall built in 1773 and in addition to its concert season, performs regularly at music festivals throughout Europe, and has made international tours to Cyprus, Turkey, Japan, and the United States.

In October 2008 Mr. Villaume was appointed the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra based in Ljubljana where he will conduct at least six programs during the season. His repertoire for the 2009-10 season includes Mahler’s Symphony No. 9, Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7 and concert performances of Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette and act three of Wagner’s Parsifal. One of the world’s oldest orchestras – its roots date back to 1701 – the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra includes composers Haydn, Beethoven, Paganini and Brahms amongst its honorary members and, over the centuries, has worked regularly with some of the most celebrated figures in musical history.

“Both of these orchestras have very prestigious traditions and specific identities. I have worked a lot over the past 10 years with the Slovak Philharmonic; we have a great rapport and I am looking forward to building this relationship even further. The Slovenian Philharmonic is also a magnificent orchestra, full of vitality and with a deep soul. We have been able to put together a great 2009-10 season with first class soloists and conductors. These two positions will help me balance further my work between the opera and the symphonic worlds, which I find is fundamental for a conductor,” says Mr. Villaume.

Based in New York and Paris, Mr. Villaume recently completed his ninth season as the Music Director for Opera & Orchestra at the Spoleto Festival USA. During the forthcoming 2009-10 season, Mr. Villaume will conduct soprano Anna Netrebko in concerts in Germany, Denmark, Norway and Sweden in September and lead The Merry Widow with Elizabeth Futral at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in December. In June 2009 he conducted Tosca at the Deutsche Oper Berlin and during the 2008-09 season he opened the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s season leading Manon (with Natalie Dessay and Jonas Kaufmann) and led Carmen at Los Angeles Opera and Les Contes d’Hoffmann in Turin.

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