Brussels Philharmonic | Kazushi Ono appointed Music Director

Kazushi Ono appointed Music Director

Maestro Kazushi Ono has once again chosen Brussels: the consummate conductor, whose vision spans continents, cultures and genres, will be the new music director of the Brussels Philharmonic. The match is made in heaven, as became clear last season in his first collaboration with the orchestra as well as in their shared vision and future plans.

29 September 2021 – The Brussels Philharmonic has been on an extraordinary journey over the past decade: the orchestra has distinguished itself both nationally and internationally with a distinctive profile, outstanding artistic performances, prestigious partnerships, innovative projects and (inter)national recognition. The appointment of Stéphane Denève as music director in 2014 helped drive this momentum.

On 30 June 2022, Maestro Denève will conduct his final concert with the Brussels Philharmonic as its music director – the climax of a leadership in which 21st-century music and the great orchestral repertoire occupied a central place.
I would like to thank the Brussels Philharmonic and Gunther Broucke for seven beautiful years together, sharing a particularly rich and inspiring musical journey! It has been filled with many exciting milestones for our orchestra, including its successful debut at Carnegie Hall, first Japan tour, first participation in the Queen Elisabeth Competition, being the first Belgian orchestra to record for Deutsche Grammophon, giving the first performances in Belgium of an impressive line-up of 21st century repertoire, countless new collaborations with major artists of our time... As I have decided to concentrate now on my new position in America as Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, I am extremely happy to know that the musicians of the Brussels Philharmonic will soon be in the excellent hands of Maestro Kazushi Ono, who I admire and respect deeply. I wish them all the best for the future together!
Stéphane Denève, Music Director Brussels Philharmonic 2015-2022

Starting in the 2022-23 season, Kazushi Ono will take up the baton as music director, and will further reinforce and develop the main lines traced in the past few years.

Maestro Ono shares the DNA of the Brussels Philharmonic: a passion for new music, a desire to keep the great repertoire alive and to continue exploring it, and a permanent quest for innovation and evolution, connected unfailingly to authenticity, engagement and above all to sharing the love of music.

I am thrilled to accept the position of Music Director of the Brussels Philharmonic. Our first encounter early this year was a real pleasure. I could feel that we have chemistry and that we share the same musical values. I am impressed by the players’ sound, sensibility, flexibility and passion, and I am certain of our potential to achieve something meaningful together. In my role as Music Director I will try to construct a broad base in my programming, with repertoire ranging from Classical through to the music of today. As we develop our relationship, we will open many doors and create a different world inside each one.
Kazushi Ono, Music Director Brussels Philharmonic from September 2022 onwards

The Brussels Philharmonic is delighted that Maestro Ono, who with his breadth of knowledge and experience is a mainstay both at home and abroad, has chosen to return to Brussels. The future path he will travel with the musicians, the organisation and the audience promises to make for an exciting musical journey in the coming years: ongoing discovery of the great orchestral repertoire, new and ambitious ventures into both contemporary music and the classical and early Romantic oeuvre, and building links with people around symphonic music. The complete plan for the future will be presented in the spring of 2022.

After a very intense and successful collaboration with Maestro Denève, I am very much looking forward to a new step toward the future of the Brussels Philharmonic under the baton of Kazushi Ono. Most of all, it is the clear and ambitious plans for the repertoire that have captivated my imagination. More about this in the spring!
Gunther Broucke, General Manager Brussels Philharmonic

On Friday 1 and Saturday 2 October, Kazushi Ono will conduct 2 concerts with the Brussels Philharmonic at Flagey (Brussels) and the Concertgebouw Brugge. On the programme are the Alban Berg Violin Concerto (with Veronika Eberle) and Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations.

read more about Kazushi Ono