Kent Nagano, the longtime conductor and music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, will step aside from his position in 2020.
In a statement, MSO management said Nagano had decided not to accept an invitation to extend his contact.
In that statement, Nagano praised the city and the orchestra, saying the decision was not made lightly and the time seemed right to step aside.
"The MSO, its administration, board of directors, as well as the community of Montreal and Quebec can be deeply proud of what we have achieved in our years of working so intensely together – over the past years we have accomplished nothing short of a miracle in shaping such a vital, financially stable, boldly innovative orchestra that continues to illuminate the relevance of the symphony orchestra for the 21st century,” he said.
Nagano first came to Montreal in 2006 after stints as conductor and musical director in Los Angeles, Berlin, Lyon and others.
A replacement has yet to be named but MSO management said the search would be quick.
