Meet our president, Yan Pascal Tortelier

Yan Pascal Tortelier is an internationally renowned French conductor and violinist and is the son of the late cellist Paul Tortelier (1914-1990).

President,
Yan Pascal Tortelier

His musical career began as a fourteen year old when he won first prize for violin at the Paris Conservatoire and also made his debut as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Brahms' Double Concerto (1962). Following general musical studies with Nadia Boulanger, Tortelier studied conducting with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena.

Following his studies, Tortelier began guest conducting and in 1974 was appointed associate conductor of the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, remaining there until the end of the 1983 season. He also conducted opera performances in Toulouse. He was principal conductor and artistic director of the Ulster Orchestra (Belfast) from 1989 to 1992, and subsequently became the principal conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra until 2002, based at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. Following his very successful tenure, he was appointed conductor emeritus of the BBC Philharmonic and he continues to work with the orchestra regularly. He also holds the position of principal guest conductor at the Royal Academy of Music.

Tortelier has collaborated with major orchestras including the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestras, Czech Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala Milan, and in North America, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle and Montreal Symphony Orchestras. Outside Europe and North America, he has collaborated with the Melbourne Symphony, the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, the São Paulo Symphony, Hong Kong and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestras.

Biographical information taken from the AllMusic.com and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra websites.