NicolasEllis
- Conductor
About Nicolas
Music Director: Orchestre National de Bretagne Artistic Director: Orchestre de l'Agora Principal Guest Conductor: Les Violons du Roy
The 24/25 season sees Nicolas take up his role as Music Director of the Orchestre National de Bretagne, alongside his positions as Principal Guest Conductor of Les Violons du Roy and Artistic Director of the Orchestre de l’Agora, a Montreal based orchestra founded by Nicolas, who last season celebrated their tenth anniversary.
Nicolas' inaugural season with Orchestre National de Bretagne includes repertoire from J.S Bach, Vivaldi and Schubert, to Dvorak, Rimsky-Korsakov and Ravel. In addition to his performances in France, he'll make debuts with the Luxembourg Philharmonic, Tampere Philharmonic and Sydney Symphony. He returns to the Orchestre Métropolitain (where he previously held the title of Artistic Partner). Last season included his debuts with the San Diego Symphony and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestras.
Now a familiar favourite at Opera de Montréal, he has led productions of Le nozze di Figaro, The Turn of the Screw and Poppea and returns this season to conduct L'enfant et les sortilèges. He closes his 24/25 season with a new production of Die Zauberflöte in his debut at Opera de Rennes. Last season, he made his debut at Opera de Quebéc in Die Fledermaus.
Contact
For availability and general enquiries:
Henry Lindsay
For contracts, logistics and press:
Jemima Pickersgill
Representation
Season Highlights
Video
- Playing
Nicolas Ellis conducts Mahler Symphony no. 3 - Excerpt
An excerpt of Nicolas Ellis conducting Mahler Symphony No. 3 with his Orchestre de l'Agora at the Maison symphonique in Montreal Credit: Orchestre de l'Agora
Nicolas Ellis conducts Shostakovich 5 - Excerpt
An excerpt of Nicolas Ellis conducting Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 with the Orchestre Métropolitain Credit: Orchestre Métropolitain
Nicolas Ellis conducts Strauss 'Don Juan'
Nicolas Ellis with the Orchestre Métropolitain at the Maison Symphonique de Montréal Credit: Orchestre Métropolitain
Nicolas Ellis conducts Gluck: Armide "Enfin il est en ma puissance"
Nicolas Ellis with Violons du Roy and Karina Gauvin at Le Domaine Forget Credit: Violons du Roy
Nicolas Ellis conducts Mozart Symphony no. 25
Nicolas Ellis with Violons du Roy at the Le Domaine Forget Credit: Violons du Roy
Sarah Dufresne sings Mozart - Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!
Nicolas Ellis with the Orchestre Métropolitain and Sarah Dufresne Credit: Orchestre Métropolitain
Photos
Projects
Anna Prohaska & Ensemble Resonanz
Star soprano Anna Prohaska and conductor Nicolas Ellis combine forces with Ensemble Resonanz to present a programme of 'Love and Betrayal', with music by Berg and Mozart. Mozart's 'Haffner' Symphony No. 35 serves as the backbone of the programme, and the performance intertwines encrypted love messages from Berg's 'Lyric Suite' with the dizzying emotional states expressed in many of Mozart's most famous arias, including from Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutte.
Learn about this projectProjects
Anna Prohaska & Ensemble Resonanz
Star soprano Anna Prohaska and conductor Nicolas Ellis combine forces with Ensemble Resonanz to present a programme of 'Love and Betrayal', with music by Berg and Mozart. Mozart's 'Haffner' Symphony No. 35 serves as the backbone of the programme, and the performance intertwines encrypted love messages from Berg's 'Lyric Suite' with the dizzying emotional states expressed in many of Mozart's most famous arias, including from Le Nozze di Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutte.
Learn about this project
News
Debuts for Nicolas Ellis in Tampere, Luxembourg and Sydney
New Music Directors launch their inaugural season
Nicolas Ellis debuts with San Diego Symphony
Nicolas Ellis announced as Music Director of l'Orchestre National de Bretagne
Nicolas Ellis returns to the Orchestre National de Bretagne
Askonas Holt welcomes conductor Nicolas Ellis
Press
Strauss Alpine Symphony
Orchestre de l'AgoraJun 2024Ce chef est d’un talent (à cet âge) vraiment hors du commun. This conductor's talent (at this age) is truly extraordinary.
- Chrisophe Huss, Le Devoir
- 13 June 2024
Mozart Marriage of Figaro
Montreal OperaSep 2023Le spectacle est drôle et fonctionne à merveille…, s’adaptant au flot continu généré par Nicolas Ellis... Le chef québécois fait des prouesses, dans les nuances et surtout la respiration dramatique, sur des détails parfois saisissants, comme la manière dont le premier air de Cherubino s’insinue dans un même souffle dans le dialogue. The show is funny and works perfectly…, adapting to the constant flow generated by Nicolas Ellis... The Québécois conductor demonstrates his prowess in his use of dynamic contrasts and, above all, dramatic breathing, with details that are sometimes striking, such as the way Cherubino's first aria insinuates itself into the dialogue in the same breath.
- Christophe Huss, LeDevoir
- 25 September 2023
Haydn, Mozart and Gluck
Les Violons du RoyMar 2023Après une 5e Symphonie de Chostakovitch fulgurante, Nicolas Ellis vient de nous donner une des plus belles symphonies de Mozart entendues en 20 ans à Montréal. After a dazzling Symphony No. 5 by Shostakovich, Nicolas Ellis has just given us one of the most beautiful Mozart symphonies heard in Montreal in the last 20 years.
- Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
- 11 March 2023
Mahler Symphony No. 3
Orchestre de l’AgoraJun 2022Le talent de ce musicien est une bénédiction The talent of this musician is a blessing
- Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
- 23 June 2022
Les Violons du Roy with soloist Kerson Leong
Festival de LanaudièreJul 2021...ce jeune musicien caméléon est un phénomène... Souple, délicat, pulsant, le chef a montré une grande maturité dans l’art de créer une dynamique interne très élastique aux phrases musicales sans jamais les brusquer par des à-coups ou des effets. ...this young chameleon musician is a phenomenon... Supple, delicate, pulsating, the conductor showed great maturity in the art of creating a very elastic internal dynamic to the musical phrases without ever rushing them with jolts or effects.
- Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
- 26 July 2021
Mozart, Bourget, Marsolais, Murphy & Strauss
Orchestre MétropolitainMay 2021Nicolas Ellis dirigeait And So Be Changed to Lightning in the End, de Kelly Marie Murphy, et Don Juan, de Strauss, avec une poigne et une tenue impressionnantes. Nicolas Ellis conducted And So Be Changed to Lightning in the End, by Kelly Marie Murphy, and Don Juan, by Strauss, with an impressive grip and hold.
- Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
- 21 May 2021
Comfort Concert
Orchestre symphonique de QuébecNov 2020Le chef Nicolas Ellis a dirigé le tout avec simplicité et naturel, sans excès de pathos, mais toujours avec sincérité et spontanéité. Il a simplement laissé parler la musique, ce qu’il fallait faire dans ces circonstances. Ce moment très spécial semblait également émouvoir les musiciens. Conductor Nicolas Ellis conducted the whole thing with simplicity and naturalness, without excessive pathos, but always with sincerity and spontaneity. He simply let the music speak for itself, which was the right thing to do in these circumstances. This very special moment seemed to move the musicians as well. Emmanuel Bernier, La Presse, 20 November 2020
- Emmanuel Bernier, La Presse
- 20 November 2020
Beethoven and Brown
Orchestre MétropolitainMay 2019He has evidently earned the respect of the Métropolitain, as they were impressively responsive to his gestures.
- Ian Cochrane, Bachtrack
- 16 May 2019
Mozart Opera Night
Orchestre de l'AgoraFeb 2018Nicolas Ellis et l’Orchestre de l’Agora ne font décidément rien comme les autres Nicolas Ellis and the Agora Orchestra do nothing like the others.
- Christophe Huss, Le Devoir
- 05 February 2018
