(Credit: Marco Spotti)

Italian conductor Michele Spotti has been nominated as Music Director of Marseille’s Opera House and Philharmonic Orchestra.

Marseille’s Mayor Benoît Payan and the General Manager of the Opéra de Marseille Maurice Xiberras announced the news and noted that Spotti will start in his new role during the 2023-24 season, succeeding the current Musical Director, Lawrence Foster.

The appointment comes after Spotti’s success with Rossini’s “Guillaume Tell,” which opened the 2021-22 season of the prestigious Theatre.

In a statement, Spotti said, “It’s a great honor for me to welcome this appointment: it was easy to fall in love with Marseille’s Opéra, with its orchestra, with its chorus and its staff. Marseille’s light reflects on the sound of the orchestra, also thanks to the excellent conductors who have preceded me.”

He added, “The path of mutual growth will see us facing heterogeneous repertoires, both operatic and symphonic. My goal is to create an even stronger sound identity, enhancing the enormous potential of an already great ensemble. To make the Theatre an increasingly open space, I will also commit to a widespread distribution of its programs, aiming also to attract new audiences of all ages. I will not fail to bring with me in Marseille a deep and humble dedication to study, that true element sparking curiosity and the pleasure of playing. I thank Marseille’s Mayor Benoît Payan, the Town Hall, the General Manager of the Opéra de Marseille Maurice Xiberras, and the entire Theatre.”