Conductor Bernard Labadie on What Really Matters as You Face Death
Cancer not only halted Bernard Labadie’s conducting career in May 2014, but nearly took his life.
After waking up from a month-long coma in November of that same year, the celebrated conductor could barely stand up. Still, as his cancer went into remission, he began the difficult journey back to the podium.
Today, Labadie joins guest host Gill Deacon to share how his brush with death profoundly changed him as a man and artist — and what he really cared about as he felt his life slipping away.
“I was honestly supposed to be gone,” he tells Gill, recalling discussions of palliative care.
But as the artist made peace with his prognosis, life gave him the fragile, unexpected gift of a second chance.
Bernard Labadie Named Principal Conductor of Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Orchestra of St. Luke’s today announced the appointment of renowned French Canadian conductor Bernard Labadie as its next Principal Conductor, beginning a four-year term in the 2018-19 season.
As Principal Conductor, Labadie will lead Orchestra of St. Luke’s in its annual subscription series presented by Carnegie Hall, and at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts.
Christoph Campestrini Appointed Kapellmeister of Vienna’s Hofkapelle
Christoph Campestrini has been appointed Kapellmeister at Vienna’s Hofkapelle, home of the Vienna Boys’ Choir. With the appointment, Campestrini joins the ranks of the historically important and influential musicians who have been members of the Hofkapelle. He will lead the famed Hofmusikkapelle, which includes the Vienna Boys’ Choir and members of the Vienna State Opera orchestra and chorus.
Honens Prize Laureate Katherine Chi to Light Up National Music Centre
The first Canadian and first woman to be named Honens Prize Laureate — Katherine Chi — will take to the stage this weekend at the National Music Centre and says even after all of those years tickling the ivories, she still gets nervous before a performance.
Steven Fox Receives Grammy Nomination for Best Choral Performance
Steven Fox is nominated for Best Choral Performance at the 61st Grammy Awards
OSL Announces New Bach Festival
To showcase [Bernard’s] expertise, the ensemble announced on Thursday that it would present an ambitious three-week Bach festival in June, including concerts and the six dances that Paul Taylor, the modern dance pioneer who died last month at 88, choreographed to Bach’s music.
World-renowned pianist Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak awarded Golden Order for Services
The Dubrovnik-born pianist is one of the most successful concert pianists in the world. She has won numerous awards for her achievements and has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious venues.
Karen Kim, Grammy Award Winner, Joins Jasper String Quartet
Karen is a remarkable chamber musician who shares the passion for string quartets, new music, education and community. She has appeared as a guest musician with the Jaspers frequently over the past season and the Quartet is excited to welcome as a new member of the quartet a musician with whom they have established a dynamic chemistry.
Gregory Vajda Receives Bartók-Pásztory Award
On the 137th anniversary of Bartok’s birthday, Gregory Vajda was awarding the 2018 Bartók-Pásztory Award in composition. The Liszt Academy honors each year a performer and composer who have significantly contributed to the development of music life in Hungary and to the maintenance of Béla Bartók’s legacy.
Previous recipients of the prize include Gyorgy Ligeti, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, and the Kodaly Quartet.
Ute Lemper Appointed to Twelfth Glenn Gould Prize Jury
The 12th Glenn Gould Prize Jury:
The Jurors
Viggo Mortensen (Denmark/USA) – actor, poet, painter, photographer, musician, publisher
François Girard (Canada) – award-winning film and opera director (32 Short Films About Glenn Gould)
Ute Lemper (Germany) – singer and actress, the premier cabaret artist of our time
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, PC (Canada), former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, novelist
Foday Musa Suso – (Gambia/USA) – musician, composer, kora virtuoso
Naeemeh Naeemaei (Iran) – painter and conservationist
Sondra Radvanovsky (Canada / USA) – internationally acclaimed operatic soprano
Howard Shore, OC (Canada) – Academy Award-winning composer of over 80 film scores and concert works
Kat Von D (Mexico/USA) – celebrated tattoo artist, television personality, musician, makeup entrepreneur and style icon
Professor Ye Xiaogang (China) – internationally renowned composer, Vice President of the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music