Jacques Lacombe to end NJSO tenure after 2015–16 season
NJSO Music Director Jacques Lacombe has announced that he will step down as music director when his contract expires at the end of the 2015–16 season.
The Star-Ledger writes:
Jacques Lacombe, who has helped the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to stretch its range with performances of contemporary works and innovative partnerships over the past five years, will leave his post as music director when his contract is up in 2016.
The orchestra will announce his departure today.
Lacombe has been at the helm of the orchestra since 2009. He made his first appearance as a guest conductor in 2008. He will leave to better coordinate his commitments to orchestral music and opera, as well as his work in North America and Europe as his schedule as a guest conductor picks up.
"We've had a great time and there's still a lot to come," Lacombe said in an exclusive interview last night with The Star-Ledger.
Lacombe made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2012 with the orchestra, in a successful performance at the Spring For Music festival. It was the ensemble's first appearance at the venue in six years. The orchestra was selected for adventurous programming, for which it also has recently been recognized by ASCAP and the League of American Orchestras.
"It was a hard decision ... But I felt like it was the right time for me and for the organization," Jacques Lacombe, NJSO music director, said of his impending departure.
Other hallmarks of his leadership have been promotion of local talent through the New Jersey Roots Project, showcasing works by composers with ties to the state, and collaborations with various vocal, theatrical and dance organizations. In addition, he has championed large-scale contemporary works, including Tan Dun's Earth Concerto, in the orchestra's annual Winter Festivals.
"He has not only expanded the repertoire ... but he's expanded our idea of what a concert experience can be," said NJSO president and CEO James Roe, also in an interview last night.
"Those are the things that I think will really stand out as the legacy of his time."
Roe, the orchestra's former principal oboist, also praised Lacombe's particular gifts on the podium, such as his ability in coordinating complex works and as a colorist.
Read the full story at www.nj.com.
"Jacques Lacombe has made a difference," The Asbury Park Press' Carlton Wilkinson writes:
Lacombe took over the NJSO in 2009, having appeared with the ensemble as a guest conductor in 2008. His 2008 recording of Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana” as a guest conductor with the ensemble set the tone for a remarkable tenure that has been marked by adventurous programming, powerful interpretations and, most importantly, the nurturing of a sense of cultural identity for the ensemble and its audiences.
...
One of Lacombe’s signature projects has been the New Jersey Roots project, which has brought to light important scores by Edward Cone, George Antheil, Steve Mackey, George Walker and others — a relentless push not to simply create a new venue for these pieces but to introduce them in the context of the European masters. All the while using the local culture as a means to attract new audiences, to build more culture.
In addition, he has taken on work by other living composers like Tan Dun and challenging, overlooked scores like Busoni’s Piano Concerto, garnering superb national and international attention for the group in the process.