“Clément Mao–Takacs is a young conductor with daring original vision, and who defends the rare repertoires from yesterday and today alike, always curating intelligent programmes” (Les Échos)
Clément is a graduate from the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and the Accademia Chigiana in Sienna, and was awarded the Prix "Jeune Talent" by the Fondation del Duca (Institut de France / Académie des Beaux-Arts).
He is both Artistic and Musical Director of Secession Orchestra, which he founded in 2011. Taking the ideals of the Viennese Secession movement as the starting point, the repertoire encompasses music from Mahler, Bartók and Debussy through to rarely performed scores to contemporary music. Session gives over 50 concerts each year including residencies at venues such as the Musée du Louvre. He also created and is Artistic Director of the festivals INTERVALLES in Paris and TERRAQUÉ in Carnac, Brittany.
As a guest conductor, he has been invited to give concerts by Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Odense Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne, Festival Orchestra of Sofia, Avanti! Chamber Orchestra Finland, and Bit 20 Bergen.
Last season, Clement made his Finnish Opera debut in Helsinki conducting the Finnish premiere of ‘Innocence’ by Saariaho and will conduct the US premiere with San Francisco Opera in 23/24 season.
With stage director Aleksi Barrière he founded and leads the collective La Chambre aux échos, working on musical theatre and chamber opera. This season they joined forces with the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki producing ‘Between’.
A specialist of Kaija Saariaho’s music, he has conducted the world premiere and several national premieres of the chamber version of her opera La Passion de Simone, including performances in Bratislava, Saint- Denis, Lublin, Clermont-Ferrand, Copenhagen, Bergen and Nantes. Further Saariaho credits include the world premiere of the chamber version of Quatre Instants which is also dedicated to him, the Danish premiere of the concerto Notes on Light (with cellist Jakob Kullberg), and regularly performs numerous works from her catalogue.
2019 saw the release of a CD of her works for violin and orchestra on BIS Records with the Oslo Philharmonic and soloist Peter Herresthal. Lauded for its expressivity and virtuosity and nominated for a Spellemann Award, it was BBC Music Magazine’s Concerto Choice and “could scarcely be bettered” (Gramophone). Clément Mao-Takacs’s further recordings include Stockhausen’s Adieu for Crystal Classics, a disc of Jacques Ibert’s music for Timpani (awarded ‘5 diapasons’ by DIAPASON magazine) and Debussy “Fantaisie for piano and orchestra“ with the Secession Orchestra (Mirare). Upcoming releases include music by Stravinsky, Saariaho and Berg.
September 2023
