An example of Richard Egarr’s dynamic approach to leadership (courtesy of PBO)
Readers may recall that, this past October, Nicholas McGegan announced his retirement as Music Director of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale (PBO) at the conclusion of the 2019–20 season. This morning PBO Board President Kay Sprinkel Grace and Executive Director Courtney Beck announced that Richard Egarr has signed a five-year contract to be the next PBO Music Director. Egarr will be the second Music Director in PBO’s history, following up on McGegan’s 35-year tenure in the position.
Egarr is already well-known to the PBO musicians, as well as their audiences. He has served as guest conductor three times since 2012, most recently in March of last year when he prepared a program entitled Corelli The Godfather. This turned out to offer a historical perspective on the concerto grosso, whose first major proponent was Arcangelo Corelli. The entire program was organized around two of the concerti grossi in his Opus 6 collection and their impact on two of the concerti grossi in the Opus 6 collection of George Frideric Handel. Through his outgoing style and capacity for insightful commentary, his appeal to PBO audiences has been both compelling and entertaining; and I, for one, am looking forward to the opportunity of seeing him more frequently and with greater regularity.
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