Charles Dutoit

Charles Dutoit, who was born in 1936 in Lausanne, acquired a comprehensive musical education in the subjects of violin, viola, piano, percussion, composition, and conducting at the Conservatories of Lausanne and Geneva. He completed his studies with Alceo Galliera in Siena and Charles Münch in Tanglewood. He was only 20 when Herbert von Karajan invited him to conduct at the Vienna Staatsoper; since then has been active in the field of opera at the Royal Opera House in London, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Deutsche Oper in Berlin, Los Angeles Opera, and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as well. For a quarter century (from 1977 to 2002), Charles Dutoit served as Artistic Director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, which he has made into a world-class ensemble. His numerous recordings with the Orchester have garnered more than forty international awards. Dutoit was also Music Director of the Orchestre National de France from 1991 until 2001 and of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo from 1998 until 2003. He has been Principal Conductor and Artistic Director with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009. Charles Dutoit has enjoyed a close association with the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1980 and was named its Honorary Conductor in 2012. He has guest conducted the leading U.S. orchestras in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh; among the ensembles he has led in Europe are the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and the major London orchestras. A passionate globetrotter, Charles Dutoit, has traveled to 196 different countries, is an honorary citizen of Philadelphia, Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and Officier de l’Ordre du Canada; in 2014 he was honored for his life’s work with the International Classical Music Award. 

LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on 23 August 1967 with the Swiss Festival Orchestra in works by Haydn, Chopin, Stravinsky, and Ravel.

April 2017