Composer-conductor DIRK BROSSÉ has been named music director of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia beginning with the 2010-11 season. He will succeed IGNAT SOLZHENITSYN, who has announced that 2009-10 will be his last season at the helm of the orchestra; Solzhenitsyn assumes the title conductor laureate in August 2010, and anticipates conducting at least one concert program per season thereafter. Brossé has conducted all of the leading orchestras in his native Belgium, as well as numerous orchestras and opera companies elsewhere in Europe and in the U.K., Asia, and Latin America. He is currently touring the U.S. and Canada as principal conductor for a Star Wars concert featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Also a prolific composer, Brossé has a catalogue of some 200 works, including concerti, oratorios, lieder, chamber music, and symphonic compositions. He began his training at conservatories in Ghent and Brussels, subsequently pursuing conducting studies in Maastricht, Vienna, and Cologne.
Posted November 16, 2009
