Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège
| Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège | |
|---|---|
| Orchestra | |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Location | Liège, Belgium |
| Principal conductor | Christian Arming |
| Website | www |
The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège (OPRL) (English: Liège Royal Philharmonic ) is a Belgian symphony orchestra, based in Liège. The OPRL was founded in 1960. With 100 members, the Liège Royal Philharmonic performs nearly 80 concerts each season, with approximately fifty of these concerts at the Salle Philharmonique de Liège, its home base. The OPRL also makes regular guest appearances in concert halls throughout the Benelux countries and in France. The OPRL receives financial support from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, the City of Liège, the Province of Liège, the Région wallonne (Wallonie Region), and the Loterie Nationale (National Lottery).
While French and twentieth century music form the core of its repertoire, the Orchestra also strongly supports the work of many contemporary composers, most notably, Philippe Boesmans, Henri Dutilleux, Thierry Escaich, Michel Fourgon, Claude Ledoux, Magnus Lindberg, and Benoît Mernier. In its recording career, the Orchestra has championed the canon of Belgian composers, Albert Dupuis, César Franck, Joseph Jongen, Émile Mathieu, and André Souris, and the French composers, Ernest Chausson, Édouard Lalo, Francis Poulenc, and Maurice Ravel. The orchestra has recorded commercially for the Naïve and Cyprès record labels.
The current music director of the OPL is Christian Arming, who was named to the post in May 2011.[1] His initial contract is for 4 years, beginning with the 2011-2012 season.
Music directors
- 1960-1964: Fernand Quinet
- 1964-1967: Manuel Rosenthal
- 1967-1977: Paul Strauss
- 1977-1999: Pierre Bartholomée
- 2001-2006: Louis Langrée
- 2006-2009: Pascal Rophé
- 2009-2010: François-Xavier Roth[2][3]
- 2011–present: Christian Arming
