Mozartwoche 2020
20-26 January 2020

2020 marks the COE’s seventh appearance at the Salzburg Mozartwoche. The Orchestra’s first project at the Festival was during January 2004 and over the last 16 years we have been very fortunate and delighted to have returned as a regular guest in performance with many of our close friends and world-renowned artists such as Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir András Schiff and Robin Ticciati.
We are very excited and honoured to be rediscovering Mozart’s “Paris” and “Jupiter” symphonies with Andrew Manze this January and also to have the opportunity to perform Mozart’s Oboe Concerto with our great friend and former colleague François Leleux. Our performance together at the Mozarteum in Salzburg will be on 24th January. There will also be a rare opportunity to hear a selection of Mozart’s Divertimenti with soloists from the Orchestra on 25th January.

The COE is delighted to be working for the very first time with British conductor Andrew Manze who is widely celebrated as one of the most stimulating and inspirational conductors of his generation. His extensive and scholarly knowledge of the repertoire, particularly that of Mozart, together with his boundless energy and warmth, mark him out. He has been Chief Conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie, Hannover, since September 2014 and his contract has recently been extended until summer 2023. In the 18/19 season he was appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Below are a few videos filmed by our bass trombonist Nick Eastop who interviewed Andrew in Stockholm about his debut with the COE and François Leleux at Salzburg’s Mozartwoche 2020.

It is with immense pleasure that we welcome Francois back to the COE as soloist in performance of Mozart’s Oboe Concerto at the Salzburg Mozartwoche. Francois was principal oboe with the COE between 2004 and 2012 and has featured as soloist with the Orchestra on many occasions, most recently in 2016 in performances of the Strauss Concerto with Sir Antonio Pappano. Our recording together, ‘JS Bach – Bleibet meine Freude‘ in 2007 for Sony Classical, is one of the highlights of our discography. François has said of the COE: “The main reason for becoming addicted is the pleasure, the pleasure to be part of an extraordinary group of people leaving homes, jobs, families, countries just to play music together. This is absolutely an exception, there must be something special there which connects these people very strongly. Of course there is the music but also the feeling of sharing something really special.”

As well as being an international soloist, François is also a renowned conductor and has recently joined Camerata Salzburg as Artistic Partner. A truly versatile musician, he has previously served as Artist-in-Residence with orchestras such as the hr-Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Berner Symphonieorchester, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, and Artist-in-Association with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris.

In the 2019/20 season François becomes Artist-in-Residence with the Aalborg Symfoniorkester, appearing as both conductor and soloist. He continues to expand his successful collaboration with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducting the season’s opening concerts as well as leading the orchestra on their tour of Asia, which features Colin Currie as a soloist. He debuts as conductor with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and English Chamber Orchestra, and returns to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra and Gävle Symphony Orchestra. Festival highlights this season include Audi Sommerkonzerte Ingolstadt and Mozartwoche Salzburg – the latter reflecting every aspect of François’ performing life as he appears there as conductor with Camerata Salzburg, soloist with the COE and chamber musician with Les Vents Français.