Pascal Rophé

An innovative and passionate musician, Pascal Rophé is one of France’s most sought after conductors. Currently Music Director of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, a position he has held since the 2014/2015 season, he is known as one of the foremost exponents of the 20th century repertoire and has also built up an enviable reputation for his interpretations of the symphonic repertoire of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Pascal Rophé works with many major orchestras including the two orchestras of Radio France, Philharmonia, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Iceland Symphony, RTE National Symphony, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, RAI Torino, Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. Highly regarded in Asia, Pascal regularly conducts the NHK Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic, Seoul and China Philharmonic Orchestras, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan.
Recent highlights include debuts with the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Arctic Philharmonic, Norway – as well as concerts with the BBC Symphony, London Sinfonietta and premiere performances of the Concerto for violin and cello by Pascal Dusapin with Viktoria Mullova and Matthew Barley in Paris with the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France and in Torino with the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai.
Pascal Rophé has received numerous awards for his extensive discography of recordings and was most recently awarded the Gramophone Award for the best contemporary recording on 2018.
After completing his studies at the Paris Conservatoire and gaining second prize at the 1988 Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors, Pascal Rophé collaborated closely with Pierre Boulez at the Ensemble Intercontemporain.