Boris Brott

Boris Brott was one of Canada's most visible and energetic conductors. He left many traces of his work across Canada's music scene while taking important posts in the U.S. and Europe. He was also noted as a motivational speaker with a long list of corporate appearances. His first formal post was as the assistant conductor of the Toronto Symphony, under Walter Süsskind, from 1963 to 1965. Brott founded two important Canadian musical institutions, the Brott Music Festival (Canada's largest) and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada. Brott took a guest conducting tour of Italian opera houses in the early 2000s and became the artistic director and conductor of the McGill Chamber Orchestra (later renamed the Orchestre Classique de Montréal) in 2002. In 2019, he released the album New Jewish Music, Vol. 2, with the Orchestre Classique de Montréal. Brott died in Hamilton, Ontario, on April 5, 2022.