Kazushi Ono will be the main conductor of the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra

Barcelona (ACN)-Japanese conductor Kazushi Ono was appointed the next main conductor of the Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra (OBC), and will take over from the current conductor Pablo Gonzalez in September 2015. The decision to appoint new chief conductor Ono has received the consent of "all parties". Joaquim Garrigosa, the Director of the L’Auditori concert hall (where the OBC is based) hopes that Ono will lead the ensemble to be a worldwide fame orchestra from Catalonia., hopes that Ono will mark a huge step forward for OBC and lead it to be an orchestra of worldwide fame from Catalonia.

Ono will take charge from the 2015-16 season, coinciding with the completion of Gonzalez’s contract. Like Gonzalez, Ono’s contract is valid for three years, renewable for two more.

He is currently the main conductor of the orchestra of the Opéra National de Lyon and will also be the head of the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra in Spring 2015, the year of the 50th anniversary of the orchestra's foundation, with the five-year initial agreement.

His achievement in Lyon and with the Opera Orchestra of La Monnaie in Brussels has made Ono stand out as one of the great conductors and “one of the most fascinating musical minds”, according to critics.

The Director of the Auditorium, Joaquim Garrigosa, feels that Ono is the director who should allow the OBC to take a “step forward”. “We have sought a more mature director, with greater experience and a longer career path, who leads the OBC to be what we want: a representative orchestra worldwide from Barcelona and Catalonia”.

The Catalan Minister of Culture, Ferran Mascarell, considers the reasons why Ono was appointed are the following: his ability to help orchestras develop and blossom, his maturity and experience, his knowledge of a wide range of repertoire, his international status and his respect and understanding of Catalonia.

Ono confessed that he has always admired the Barcelona and the Catalan public since the day he first came to the city and directed a session at the Liceu opera house. In his first public appearance, he spoke a few words in Catalan to show that “it is a pleasure and an honor” for him to direct the OBC, then changed to English, and went on to say that he would “soon” learn Catalan and speak it ‘better’ next time.