Update browser for a secure Minnesota Orchestra experience

It looks like you may be using a web browser version that we don't support. Make sure you're using the most recent version of your browser, or try using of these supported browsers, to get the full Minnesota Orchestra experience: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge.

Add to favorites

Select the heart to add an event to your list of favorites

  • {{performance.Date}}
Calendar Donate
0 0

Jordan de Souza

conductor

Canadian conductor Jordan de Souza has been appointed general music director of Theater Dortmund and chief conductor of Dortmund Philharmoniker with a five-year contract commencing in August 2025.

In the 2023-24 season, de Souza returns to Canadian Opera to conduct La Bohème; Opéra de Montréal for La Traviata; and the Philharmonia Orchestra for a concert in their Royal Festival Hall Series, following a very successful collaboration with them conducting Richard Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier at Garsington Opera in 2021. He also makes debuts with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Santa Fe Opera, conducting the world premiere of The Righteous, a new opera by Gregory Spears. Further ahead, he has secured return invitations from both Chicago Lyric Opera and Deutsche Oper Berlin and will also return to the 2026 Glyndebourne Festival.

Highlights in his native Canada have included two appearances with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and concerts with Ottawa National Arts Centre Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Québec and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. He has also appeared at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago and conducted Tristan und Isolde in a new production for Seattle Opera and Rigoletto for Houston Grand Opera.

In Europe, opera appearances include Die Zauberflöte at Bayerische Staatsoper Munich and Oper Köln; Carmen at Dutch National Opera and Wagner Der fliegende Holländer at Nationaltheater Mannheim. Last season he also conducted La Périchole at Theater an der Wien, a new production of La bohème at the 2022 Glyndebourne Festival and made his Italian debut conducting the Orchestra della Toscana in a Brahms and Mendelssohn program.

Born in Toronto, de Souza studied conducting at McGill University, Montreal and made his conducting debut at age 20 with Bach St. John Passion. On graduating, he joined the McGill faculty from 2011-2015 and went on to conduct several important choral works including Bach St. Matthew Passion, Christmas Oratorio and Mass in B minor, and the Verdi, Mozart, and Fauré Requiem. During this time, he was also conductor in residence of Tapestry Opera in Toronto, conducting three world premieres.

He moved to Europe to join the staff of the Komische Oper Berlin and completed a four-year term in 2020. During this time, he collaborated with renowned director Barrie Kosky on four critically acclaimed new productions: Pelléas et Mélisande, La Bohème, Weinberger’s Frühlingsstürme and Candide.