Boris Brott, Music Director

           Founding Music Director Boris Brott has firmly established the New West Symphony as one of Southern California's most respected orchestras. Maestro Brott's outstanding musicianship and unique programming, coupled with the energy and artistic insight he brings to New West Symphony Masterpiece concerts, has won rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.
            Maestro Brott, noted for his commitment to education and concerts for young people, also leads the New West Symphony in a week of concerts for school children from throughout Ventura County and beyond.
            Boris Brott attained his first professional conducting position at the age of eighteen as Assistant Conductor of the Toronto Symphony under Walter Suskind and Seiji Ozawa. After studies at the Conservatoire and McGill University in Montreal, he honed his craft under the tutelage of Igor Markevitch and Pierre Monteux. In 1967 he entered the Dimitri Mitropolous Conductors Competition in New York where he won the gold medal and a position as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. Internationally, Maestro Brott has served as Music Director of the Northern Sinfonia in Gateshead, England; the BBC National Orchestra of Wales; and the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden.
            Boris Brott has contributed greatly to Canadian musical life as founding Music Director of Symphony Nova Scotia, Artistic Director of Stratford Summer Music, Principal Conductor of the CBC Winnipeg Orchestra, Music Director of the Regina and Kitchener-Waterloo Symphonies, Music Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic for twenty-three years and Artistic Director and Artistic Director of the McGill Chamber Orchestra in Montreal.
            As Music Director of the Brott Festivals, a 20 week long series of spring, summer and autumn festivals in Toronto/Hamilton/Muskoka, Maestro Brott leads the National Academy Orchestra of Canada, a unique mentor-apprentice program of his creation in which emerging young musicians gain invaluable experience from working alongside seasoned professionals. His eclectic programming and communicative abilities have brought him world renown, rave reviews and Canada's highest honor, Officer of the Order of Canada.
             In May of 2004 Brott was appointed Principal Conductor, Youth and Education for the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada. Boris works closely with Pinchas Zukermann, the NAC’s Music Director in spearheading this orchestra’s substantial commitment to developing new audiences. This includes multimedia concerts, television, Internet and touring internationally. In December 2006 Brott was appointed to the Order of Ontario and has recently been named National Child Day award winner for 2007 for his service to children. In August 2007 he celebrated the 20th anniversary of his Festival in Canada conducting Mahler’s epic 8th Symphony, “Symphony of a Thousand”.
            Guest conducting takes Maestro Brott to Mexico, South America, Central America, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Scandinavia, Japan, Korea, Israel, and the Netherlands. In June of 2000 he led Bernstein's Mass at the Vatican with Pope John Paul II in attendance. He made his Budapest debut in 2007 conducting Bruckner’s “Romantic” Symphony with the Dohnányi Orchestra. His Arena de Verona debut in December 2007 resulted in an immediate re-invitation to conduct the orchestra in January and September of 2009, Maestro Brott returns annually to conduct in Verona.