Alejo Pérez Appointed New Music Director Opera Vlaanderen Royal Ballet Flanders

Starting from the 2019-2020 season, Alejo Pérez will become the new music director at Opera Vlaanderen Royal Ballet Flanders. He has been appointed by Jan Vandenhouwe, who will take over as artistic director for the opera, starting in the same season.

Each season, maestro Alejo Pérez will conduct at least two operas and three symphonic programs. Depending on the programming, he will also lend his services to Royal Ballet Flanders. Plus, Alejo Pérez is a strong believer in educational and outreach projects. As music director, he will also assist the artistic director and advise on matters such as guest conductors, casting soloists, hiring new musicians and chorus members, and putting together the repertoire.

Audiences at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen who first got to know the Argentinian conductor in the production of Pelléas et Mélisande (season 2017-2018) directed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Damien Jalet and Marina Ambravovic, showered the maestro with enthusiastic applause after every performance.

His conducting of Debussy's opera also earned him praise in the (inter)national press.

"A major contribution to the success was surely made by Alejo Pérez, who conducts the Opera Vlaanderen Symphony Orchestra with a keen sense of detail combined with a feel for the broader arcs," wrote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

And De Standaard reported: "Conductor Alejo Pérez never misses a beat. He makes the dreamlike passages gently sway to the rhythm of ebb and flow, but he abruptly confronts the melancholy mood with the menacing, high-contrast moments where Golaud displays his obsessive jealousy."

Between Pérez and the Opera Vlaanderen Symphony Orchestra there was immediately a good understanding and artistic vibe.

Maestro Pérez is currently at work on Wagner's Lohengrin that premieres on 20 September at Opera Gent. He's the right man for the job, being internationally acknowledged for his intelligent interpretations of Wagner.

Although these two aforementioned productions still fall under the directorship of Aviel Cahn, his appointment as music director was the decision of Jan Vandenhouwe. Together with Jan Vandenhouwe, maestro Pérez will take up his duties in the 2019-2020 season, conducting the opening production for the season.

Jan Vandenhouwe: "I first saw and heard Alejo Pérez at work when, at the invitation of Gerard Mortier, he conducted several operas at the Teatro Real in Madrid, where I was regularly working as dramaturge at the time. I got to know him as a dynamic and charismatic theatre conductor who pays as much attention to the details of the score as to what is happening on stage. In collaboration with major directors such as Peter Sellars, Pierre Audi and Dmitri Tcherniakov, he developed exciting opera evenings there. I think it's very important for a music director to be able to conduct a wide repertoire. Alejo is in his element in the contemporary repertoire, but he also delivers fascinating interpretations of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner and Strauss. I am confident that we will be able to jointly realise an exciting, high-quality artistic project in the coming years."

Alejo Pérez: "When I first conducted at Opera Vlaanderen, leading last season's production of Pelléas et Mélisande, I immediately felt a great affinity with the orchestra and all the people involved. This is something one should not underestimate; I believe that good chemistry and being on the same wavelength are absolutely essential in any artistic endeavour. That's why I see great potential in a long-term collaboration with this company, in which I am fortunate to experience a shared passion for music. I am also truly happy to be working alongside Jan Vandenhouwe, with whom I share a common vision for the future of the company. I look forward to playing my part in shaping Flanders' musical life with great expectation and excitement."

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