Brott, Boris

Brott, Boris Canadian conductor, son of Alexander and brother of Denis Brott; b. Montreal, March 14, 1944. He received training in violin from his father, and took courses at the Montreal Cons. (1957–61). After conducting studies with Monteux in Hancock, Maine (summer 1956), he pursued training with Markevitch at the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, where he took first prize in the Pan-American conducting competition in 1958. He was founder-conductor of the Phil. Youth Orch. in Montreal (1959–61). After winning third prize in the Liverpool conducting competition in 1962, he was asst. conductor of the Toronto Sym. Orch. (1963–65). From 1964 to 1969 he was music director of the Northern Sinfonia Orch. in Newcastle upon Tyne, and also was a conductor of the Royal Ballet at London’s Covent Garden (1966–68). From 1967 to 1972 he was music director of Lakehead Univ. in Thunder Bay, Ontario. In 1968 he was one of the four first prize winners in the Mitropoulos conducting competition in N.Y., and in 1968-69 he was an asst. conductor of the N.Y. Phil., where he profited from the tutelage of Bernstein. In 1969 he became music director of the Hamilton (Ontario) Phil, a post he retained until 1990. In 1970-71 he was interim music director of the Kitchener Waterloo Sym. Orch. in Ontario. From 1970 to 1973 he was music director of the Regina (Saskatchewan) Sym. Orch. He served as chief conductor of the BBC Welsh Sym. Orch. in Cardiff from 1972 to 1977, and also was principal conductor of the CBC Winnipeg Orch. from 1976 to 1983. He was founder-conductor and music advisor of Symphony Nova Scotia in Halifax from 1983 to 1986. In 1988 he founded the Boris Brott Summer Music Festival in Hamilton, subsequently serving as its artistic director. With his father, he served as co- conductor of the McGill Chamber Orch. in Montreal from 1989. He likewise was music director of the Ventura County (Calif.) Sym. Orch. from 1992. As a guest conductor, he appeared with leading orchs. around the world. In 1987 he received the Order of Canada and in 1990 he was made a Knight of Malta.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire