PBO Announces McGegan’s Successor

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.