Charles Dutoit

Charles Dutoit ranks among the most celebrated conductors globally, recognized above all for his extended leadership of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Additional leadership roles have taken him to such distinguished ensembles as London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Orchestra. Over the years he has partnered with prominent soloists including Salvatore Accardo, James Galway, and, most notably, Martha Argerich; their artistic partnership yielded one of his two Grammy Awards, and the pair were married for a period. Although later controversies led several organizations to sever ties, he retained the positions of co-director of Shanghai’s MISA Festival and principal guest conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra into the mid-2020s.

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, on October 7, 1936, Dutoit began violin, viola, piano, and percussion lessons in childhood and first felt drawn to conducting after observing Ernest Ansermet rehearse and perform with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He pursued violin, piano, and conducting studies at the Lausanne Conservatory before transferring to the Geneva Conservatory, where he concentrated on viola and conducting, captured first prize in the latter discipline, and completed his diploma in 1958. While still enrolled, he gained professional experience as a violist in various ensembles across South America and Europe, and he furthered his conducting training with Alceo Galliera at Siena’s Accademia Chigiana and at Tanglewood in 1959. That same year he made his professional podium debut, appearing alongside Argerich with a Radio Lausanne orchestra, and commenced regular guest engagements with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. His initial salaried post was conductor of Radio Zurich, a post he occupied from 1965 to 1967. The following year he succeeded Paul Kletzki as chief conductor of the Bern Symphony Orchestra, remaining there until 1978. In 1969 he married Argerich; the couple had a daughter before divorcing in 1973, yet they sustained an active professional collaboration.

While leading the Bern Symphony, Dutoit simultaneously directed the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico from 1973 to 1975 and the Gothenburg Symphony from 1975 to 1978. In 1977 he was named artistic director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, where he elevated standards and, through an extensive recording agreement with Decca, elevated the ensemble to worldwide prominence. Landmark releases from that partnership include Holst: The Planets (1987), Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande (1991), and Berlioz: Les Troyens (1995), the last of which secured him a Grammy for Best Opera Recording. Concurrently he conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra’s summer programs at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts from 1990 to 1999 and at Saratoga Springs from 1990 to 2010. In 1991 he assumed the music directorship of the Orchestre National de France, and in 1998 he took the same title with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, having already served as its principal conductor since 1996. His second Grammy arrived in 2000 for a recording of Bartók and Prokofiev piano concertos with the Montreal Symphony and Argerich as soloist. He relinquished the Orchestre National de France post in 2001 and, following complaints lodged by the Quebec Musicians Guild, resigned abruptly from Montreal in 2002.

Dutoit was appointed chief conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2008 and, the next year, became artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra while also assuming the music directorship of the Verbier Festival Orchestra. He joined the leadership of Shanghai’s MISA Festival as co-director in 2010, and the Philadelphia Orchestra designated him conductor laureate in 2012. In 2017 he was named conductor emeritus of the Verbier Festival Orchestra and received the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal. During 2017 and 2018, however, multiple accusations of sexual assault dating from the late 1970s through 2010 were made public; Dutoit has consistently denied them. As a result, numerous engagements were withdrawn, his Philadelphia laureate title was revoked, and he resigned his Royal Philharmonic posts early in 2018. Later that year he was appointed principal guest conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, a role he continued to hold, together with the MISA co-directorship, as of 2024.