The Lyra Baroque Orchestra of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is excited to announce the selection of four finalists for its position of Artistic Director. These finalists will perform next season, Lyra’s 40th year.
An established arts organization in the Twin Cities and Rochester communities, Lyra has been a leader in the movement of performing music on historical instruments. From its humble beginnings and foundation by local artists to its leadership under early music legend Jacques Ogg of the Netherlands, Lyra has soared to new heights with international tours and professional recording engagements, garnering attention across the States and abroad.
After 25 years of leadership, Jacques Ogg announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2024 season. Reflecting on his tenure with Lyra, Jacques shares that, “It was fantastic to see the growth of the ensemble. The sound quality, the ensemble, the use of historical techniques, articulation, intonation: everything improved so much. I was able to mix unknown repertoire, often music that hadn’t been performed since it was written hundreds of years ago, for which I had to make the scores and parts with standard repertoire.” Jacques frequently brought other internationally renowned early music artists to Minnesota to work with the group and perform for the community. He notes, “I could invite wonderful musicians; Marc Destrubé and Luis Otávio Santos had a decisive influence on the string players while Wilbert Hazelzet, Ricardo Kanji, Marion Verbruggen, Eric Hoeprich, Bruce Dickey blessed the wind players with their art.” While Jacques Ogg leaves large shoes to fill, the Lyra community looks forward to ushering in a bold new era of Baroque music in Minnesota.
In the Fall of 2023 a search committee was formed to advertise the position of Lyra’s Artistic Director. By February 2024, the committee received 40 applications from violinists spanning the globe, including the US, Canada, and multiple European countries. The breadth of interest plus the quality of musicianship was described by the committee as “truly amazing.” In the end the committee chose four finalists for the position. The finalists are the following:
Judith Steenbrink, The Netherlands, will lead the November 22 & 23rd program.
Bojan Cicic, United Kingdom, will lead the January 24 & 25th program.
Pedro Gandía Martín, Spain, will lead the March 14 & 15th program.
Rachell Ellen Wong, United States, who will lead the April 11 & 12th program.
The final phase in selecting the Artistic Director is for each finalist to create and lead a program which gives the Lyra community an opportunity to get to know each candidate better. At the end of the 2024-2025 season, the search committee, in consultation with the musicians along with input by board, staff and audience, will submit its final recommendation to the board. The new Artistic Director will officially begin in the 2025-2026 season.
