Jacques Lacombe
(c) M&M Photographie
Canadian conductor Jacques Lacombe has been abruptly dismissed at the end of the season by the Orchestre Classique de Montréal. His departure, demanded by the OCM, was announced by the chairman of its board of directors without any explanation, either to the musicians or to the public. The separation comes after just one season during which Lacombe was Music Director.
Jacques Lacombe, on the other hand, explains at length in a Facebook post about the termination of his contract with the orchestra.
« Over the past year, a number of current and former employees have told me that the General Manager’s management style within the orchestra’s administration has created a harmful working climate. Board members, notably through their inaction, have tolerated this situation, which even led recently to the resignation of two members of the administrative team. This is all the more unfortunate in that the General Manager possesses many fine qualities and good potential for growth, but does not seem to wish to make the most of them, nor to aspire to the rigour and excellence that should be the MCO’s hallmark. On the other hand, the General Manager has made numerous gestures and decisions that run counter to the good practices recognized in the professional environment in which I have evolved for almost 40 years, some of which even encroached significantly on my prerogatives as Artistic Director. »
