Jean-Claude Picard will join Les Grands Ballets Canadiens on several occasions in the coming months; first to conduct “Romeo and Juliet” by Cavallari/Prokofiev, then “Sleeping Beauty” by Haydée/Tchaikovsky. These invitations follow his successful return to the Company last October.
Jean-Claude is delighted to join Calgary Opera to conduct one of their Opera Labs around a brand new work by Canadian composer Dr Kelly-Marie Murphy: “Arriving at the Fire”.
Following Jean-Claude’s second visit to the Orchestre symphonique de Québec last December 2020, “Le Soleil” wrote: “Jean-Claude Picard…combines all the essential qualities of a conductor: precision of gesture, analytical intelligence and eloquence of expression. In the first movement [Nielsen’s Symphony No. 2], Picard takes the music head-on with undeniable commitment from start to finish… In slow movements he shows remarkable relaxation and a real sense of listening. [In the Strauss Oboe Concerto, Picard] proves to be a high-class accompanist managing the many subtle tempo nuances in Strauss’ score sensitively. “
Jean-Claude made his debut at the Festival Bach Montréal in November 2020. He conducted the Orchestre du Festival in a program entirely devoted to the timeless musical genius of the famous German composer. Reviewing the concert, Le Devoir wrote: “The new conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Jean-Claude Picard, also conducted the 1st Orchestral Suite and proved that the Festival was right to have dared to invite non-specialists in Baroque music.”
Jean-Claude will debut with the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg next June 2020.
Jean-Claude’s USA debut with Scottish Ballet in performances of “The Crucible” by Helen Pickett and Peter Salem with the Washington National Opera Orchestra at The John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. has been cancelled due to the current situation, as well as performances at the Spoleto Festival USA.
Scottish Ballet receives great critical acclaim at the Edinburgh International Festival, performing the world premiere of “The Crucible”. This was Jean-Claude’s official debut as the Company’s new Chief Conductor.
★★★★★ “A triumph for the company”, The Herald
★★★★★ The Scotsman
★★★★★ The List
★★★★★ The Stage
★★★★ The Guardian
Scottish Ballet writes: 2019 is our 50th anniversary and we are championing some of the people who help make Scottish Ballet a great place to work. Each week we will introduce you to a different career at Scottish Ballet and the person behind it.
French-Canadian conductor Jean-Claude Picard has recently been appointed Chief Conductor of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra after working with us on several productions over the last few years. He will debut in this role for the world premiere of The Crucible at the Edinburgh International Festival in August. We caught up with J-C to find out what he loves about conducting for ballet.
What attracted you to Scotland, and Scottish Ballet?
I first came to Scotland to take up my new position at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. I immediately felt at home here in Glasgow: I believe there are many cultural similarities between Scotland and Quebec.
About a year after I arrived, Scottish Ballet approached me to ask if I would be interested in conducting performances of The Nutcracker, which I accepted immediately as I was eager to conduct my first ballet and to meet with the people of this company. The experience was so positive that I was hoping they would have me back; fortunately I was re-invited the following year and from that point on our collaboration went from strength to strength.
How do you find working in Scotland and Quebec?
I’d say that it is an incredible life experience to work on both sides of the pond as I find it enriching to work in two different cultures. My maternal grandmother was born in the UK so it is special for me to work here also for that reason.
What’s your favourite thing you’ve ever worked on?
There are a few of them, however working at Scottish Ballet for the first time had a very strong impact on me. From studio rehearsals to performance, the whole process of bringing a ballet production to life seduced me completely.
The combination of both music and movement makes ballet a powerful vehicle of art and I remember that I was quite moved when I saw/heard a studio rehearsal for the first time. Also, the positive working ambiance that Scottish Ballet cultivates quickly made me feel at ease discovering the ballet world.
What makes conducting for ballet different to the way you’d normally work with an orchestra?
The ballet conductor is part of a multi-faceted team, something that I like a lot. I also believe that the challenges of conducting a ballet are greater than a symphonic programme; aside learning the choreography up to the point where you feel it is a part of you, you have to know and understand the style of each dancer, and be ready for some micro-adjustments than can happen on the spot during a performance.
I also find ballet orchestras to be incredibly flexible and we are lucky here at Scottish Ballet to have such a great one. A ballet conductor also needs to have a natural sense of the theatrical; he needs to be able to tell a story and support the dramatic line from start to finish effortlessly. He also needs to inspire the orchestra to do so every single night. Great and inspiring music-making in the pit supports the dancers to give the best of themselves.
What’s your ‘get up and go’ song?
Well, maybe because I’m a musician, I tend to love silence in the morning! In the summer I’ll have a cup of coffee on my terrasse and enjoy the sound of the wind in the trees. But if I really need something to help me get up and go, I think I’d choose the overture from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.
The Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières is entering a new era with the arrival of Maestro Jean-Claude Picard, whose first Season is full of new features that are sure to please all music lovers.
Scottish Ballet writes: “We are delighted to announce that Jean-Claude Picard will be joining the Company as Chief Conductor of the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
He will take up the role in May 2019 ahead of the world premiere of Helen Pickett’s The Crucible at the Edinburgh International Festival this August.
Jean-Claude has formed a close relationship with Scottish Ballet over the years having recently joined the company for Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella in 2018, and following the success of the Stravinsky double bill in 2017.
Alongside Scottish Ballet, Jean-Claude has had a close relationship with Scotland through his role as Associate Conductor at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.
In his native Canada, he is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières and has conducted some of the finest Canadian orchestras including Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Symphony and Nova Scotia.”
“I’m thrilled to join the Scottish Ballet family; a vibrant, complex and highly creative organisation with whom I have experienced some of the finest artistic experiences of my career so far. To now be a part of Scotland’s national dance company means so much to me as I very much look forward to deepening my relationship with this stunning institution and to share many more great projects with my colleagues in the coming years.” – Jean-Claude Picard
