Charles Edouard Dutoit was born on 7 October 1936 and is a Swiss conductor.
25 Facts About Charles Dutoit
2.
Charles Dutoit is currently the principal guest conductor for the Saint Petersburg Philharmonia and co-director of the MISA Festival in Shanghai.
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Charles Dutoit is an honorary member of the Ravel Foundation in France and the Stravinsky Foundation in Switzerland.
4.
Charles Dutoit studied there, and graduated from the Conservatoire de musique de Geneve, where he won first prize in conducting.
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Charles Dutoit began his professional music career in 1957 as a viola player with various orchestras across Europe and South America.
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Charles Dutoit was principal guest conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra in the early 1980s.
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In 1977, Charles Dutoit became the artistic director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal.
8.
Peter G Davis stated that Dutoit transformed the Montreal Symphony.
9.
New York Magazine wrote similarly about Charles Dutoit, adding that he was noted for the championing of new Canadian music.
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Charles Dutoit resigned from the Montreal Symphony in April 2002, with immediate effect, after the Quebec Musicians Guild complained about what it called Charles Dutoit's "offensive behaviour and complete lack of respect for the musicians".
11.
In January 2018, the OSM acknowledged ignoring complaints from musicians of verbal and 'psychological harassment' by Charles Dutoit dating back to the 1990s.
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Charles Dutoit did not return to the OSM as a guest conductor until 2016, in a concert at the new Maison Symphonique de Montreal.
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Charles Dutoit has received more than 40 international awards and distinctions, including two Grammy Awards, several Juno Awards, the Grand Prix du President de la Republique, the Prix mondial du disque de Montreux, the Amsterdam Edison Award, the Japan Record Academy Award, and the German Music Critics' Award.
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In February 2007, Charles Dutoit was named the orchestra's chief conductor and artistic adviser, for a contract of four years, effective September 2008.
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Since 1990, Charles Dutoit has directed the Pacific Music Festival in Japan.
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From 1991 to 2001, Charles Dutoit was Music Director of the Orchestre National de France, with whom he made a number of recordings and toured extensively.
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Charles Dutoit is one of a handful of non-Canadian citizens to be a Grand Officer of the Ordre national du Quebec.
18.
Between 2009 and 2017, Charles Dutoit served as the music director of the Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland.
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Charles Dutoit was made an honorary member of Fondation Igor Stravinsky in Geneva and Fondation Ravel in Monfort l'Amaury, France.
20.
In September 2018, Charles Dutoit was named principal guest conductor of the St Petersburg Philharmonic, effective May 2019.
21.
In late 2021, Charles Dutoit withdrew from a scheduled subscription concert of the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra due to his infection with COVID-19.
22.
Charles Dutoit shuns publicity and protects his private life from the media.
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Charles Dutoit was married to Argentine concert pianist Martha Argerich and to Canadian economist Marie-Josee Drouin.
24.
Charles Dutoit is married to Canadian violinist Chantal Juillet.
25.
In January 2018 Charles Dutoit resigned from his position as artistic director and principal conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.