Biography

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“A triumphant night. The charismatic Canadian didn’t just keep the orchestra on its toes, but was up on his toes more often than not as he threw himself into the three works. Conducting with elegance and precision, Picard was magnificent in Hector Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique”. Picard brought out all the emotion and anguish of the symphony. The applause must have shaken the venue to its foundations.”

- The Press and Journal

Canadian conductor Jean-Claude Picard is widely regarded as a communicative and engaging conductor by peers, audiences, and critics alike, known for the natural and collaborative rapport he establishes with his fellow musicians.

A highly committed performer, Jean-Claude’s artistic integrity has led him to work closely with two internationally acclaimed Scottish organisations: the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the Scottish Ballet, where he served as Associate Conductor and Chief Conductor respectively. A dedicated artistic builder, Jean-Claude will soon guest conduct two orchestras based in the United States as a candidate for their sought-after music director positions.

With the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Jean-Claude’s tenure was defined by the quality of the relationship he built with the musicians of the orchestra and the high standard of his work as a conductor. He conducted a wide-range of events, from subscription concerts to high-profile performances that reached a wide audience in the United Kingdom. Following a subscription concert at the helm of the RSNO, The Herald wrote:

“What a stonker of a concert the RSNO and Jean-Claude Picard turned out on Saturday. It took me back to square one; right back to where I started with my consuming passion for live music. You know something? On the rare occasions when you get a conductor and an orchestra locked in unity with a fabulous programme, and everybody delivering the goods at white heat, there is no sensation on God’s, or anyone else’s, earth quite like it. The whole experience was a life force.”

As Chief Conductor of Scotland’s national dance Company, Scottish Ballet, Jean-Claude has closely collaborated with the organization for six years. His successful implementation of a new orchestral sound and technique raised the standard of the orchestra significantly. Additionally, his dedication to fully supporting the dancers resulted in a high degree of precision between music and dance during performances. These achievements were recognized by the Company, peers, critics, and audiences for its excellence, positively contributing to the artistic standards of the organization and making a constructive impact within the Scottish artistic landscape and beyond. Following a performance of “The Scandal at Mayerling”, the Edinburgh Guide wrote:

“Every single step, especially en pointe is intricately placed in perfect precision to each note of the lush, lyrical score by Franz Liszt. Jean-Claude Picard conducts the superb Scottish Ballet Orchestra with vivacious tempo and flowing fluidity.”

Widely recognized as a high-class accompanist, Jean-Claude consistently receives kudos for his natural ability to provide thorough support to instrumental soloists and singers. He has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Nicola Benedetti, Xavier de Maistre, Vilde Frang, Paul Merkelo, Nicky Spence, André Laplante, Katherine Bryan, Jacques Zoon, and Boris Giltburg, among others.

In his native Canada, Jean-Claude served as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières. Additionally, he guest conducts orchestras such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Center Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Calgary Opera, I Musici, and the Montreal Bach Festival Orchestra.

Appointed to his role with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jean-Claude demonstrated unwavering dedication and commitment. Despite the unprecedented challenges caused by the pandemic, he diligently worked to ensure the security and stability of the orchestra’s musicians and the Trois-Rivières community by maintaining regular seasons. As a result, coupled with the high artistic value of the concerts presented by the OSTR during the 2020-2021 season under Jean-Claude’s direction, the organization earned a nomination for an Opus Prize. Jean-Claude also contributed significantly to the artistic level of the organization through high-quality programming, acclaimed outreach activities, and the promotion of music by Canadian composers. He inaugurated the position of Composer in Residence and established a yearly National Call for Scores. Additionally, he gave a voice to all orchestra musicians through the inauguration of artistic committees. In September 2021, Jean-Claude chose to step down from his role but continued his collaboration with the musicians of the orchestra as Principal Guest Conductor until 2023.

Following Mr. Picard’s inaugural concert at the podium of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Le Nouvelliste wrote:

“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression and Maestro Jean-Claude Picard has magnificently seized his by undoubtedly conquering the Trois-Rivières public. The audience gave a heartfelt standing ovation at the end of each of the two parts of this exciting concert, which marked Picard’s arrival at the helm of a vibrant and dashing OSTR in spectacular fashion.”

In Europe, Jean-Claude has conducted orchestras such as the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Zürich Tonhalle Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, Leipzig Symphony Orchestra, and the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, among others. He also enjoyed two highly successful visits to the Edinburgh International Festival with the Scottish Ballet. His first commercial CD release with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra received warm praise from the press, as did several commercial releases and streaming worldwide with the Scottish Ballet, featuring works such as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.
 
Equally proficient in contemporary music, he has premiered, recorded or commissioned works by Canadian and British composers such as Dr Kelly-Marie Murphy, Nicolas Gilbert, Dinuk Wijeratne, Ned Bigham, Peter Salem, Rory Boyle, and Oliver Searle.
 
Before fully dedicating himself to conducting, Jean-Claude was a sought-after flutist, performing with renowned orchestras such as the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Norway), Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, and Les Violons du Roy. It allowed him to acquire a wealth of experience as an orchestral musician, performing in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, among others.
 
Jean-Claude holds several Master’s degrees from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Genève (Haute École de Musique) where he studied conducting with Laurent Gay, and flute with Michel Bellavance and Jacques Zoon. Additionally, he obtained degrees from the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec à Montréal, studying flute with Carolyn Christie and Marie-Andrée Benny. He was also awarded a Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Scholarship from Maestro Kurt Masur, enabling him to pursue private studies with the revered conductor.
 
Jean-Claude is always eager to share his knowledge through teaching. Among other positions, he served as a Visiting Artist – Guest Lecturer in Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and taught flute at the Geneva Conservatory of Music. He is also appreciated as an adjudicator and panelist, having worked with institutions in Scotland and Geneva, and more recently with the Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression and maestro Jean-Claude Picard has magnificently seized his by undoubtedly conquering the public of Trois-Rivières.

One will also note the precision of the maestro’s work, which his musicians followed in the slightest nuances with magnificent complicity. The audience was obviously very sensitive to this energy and gave a heartfelt standing ovation at the end of each of the two parts of this exciting concert, which dramatically marked the arrival of Jean-Claude Picard at the helm of a dashing and vibrant OSTR.

The physical attitude of the musicians reflected an intense emotional involvement. This allowed the maestro to explore all sorts of nuances, especially in the Tchaikovsky, where the barely audible pizzicati of the third movement competed with the lyrical flights of the final movement.”

The new conductor of the OSTR Jean-Claude Picard made a perfect debut at the head of the trifluvien orchestra.”

Le Nouvelliste, October 2019
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