Brett Mitchell named Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre National de France

PARIS — The Orchestre National de France and its music director Kurt Masur have announced that Brett Mitchell has been appointed the ensemble’s newest Assistant Conductor.

Mr, Mitchell will continue in his position as Director of Orchestras, Opera Music Director, and Professor of Conducting at Northern Illinois University while commuting between Chicago and Paris to fulfill both these appointments.

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NIU School of Music professor of conducting will help lead Orchestre National de France

Brett Mitchell, a first-year assistant professor of conducting in the Northern Illinois University School of Music, this year will experience Paris in June.

And August. And December. And maybe May.

Mitchell has been selected as the assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de France. He will make at least half a dozen trips a year to Paris to assist and cover for Maestro Kurt Masur in a role that eventually could expand to conducting the orchestra during educational and outreach performances.

The Seattle native learned of his success immediately after his audition, which took place in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. The concert hall was the site of the world premiere of Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” a work so avant-garde it caused riots in the audience.

“I was thrilled, obviously, and stunned. You get so used to rejection after a while — you’re ready for it, you’re prepared for it — I just remember when I heard my name,” Mitchell said. “The orchestra is just phenomenal, not only in their technical prowess, but they play with so much heart. They are never hesitant to dig in, and I love it.” 

His opportunities in Paris, where he will meet, observe and work alongside some of the world’s greatest conductors, will benefit his students in DeKalb as well as audiences for Philharmonic and Opera Workshop performances.

“Spending so much time with these great musicians can’t help but affect my work here,” he said. “How could it not influence what I do?”

Mitchell’s road to Paris began in New York by way of Austin, where he earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at The University of Texas.

Masur, who conducted the New York Philharmonic during the 1990s, returned in 2004 to lead a master-class for young conductors. Five of the 100 applicants — Mitchell included — made the cut.