Just before releasing details of programming for 2025-2026, the National Arts Centre Orchestra announced that it would be the last season with Alexander Shelley on the podium. After 11 successful seasons, Maestro Shelley will conduct the orchestra as its Music Director for the last time in July 2026.
In 2015, when Shelley stepped into the role, he became the orchestra’s youngest ever Music Director, taking over from Pinchas Zukerman.
“Alexander Shelley is an exceptional conductor and generous collaborator who propelled the NAC
Orchestra to new heights while making Canadian artists and composers central to his vision,” said
NAC President and CEO Christopher Deacon in a statement.
“He instinctively understood the importance of the Orchestra’s national role and fully embraced it, giving Canadian creativity a platform to shine. He has left an indelible mark on the NAC Orchestra and the many artists he has inspired during his time as Music Director. We will miss him dearly.”
“To have served the National Arts Centre and Canadian music has been the privilege of a lifetime,”
said Alexander Shelley.
“Working with innumerable Canadian artists through extraordinarily challenging times has enriched me more than I can express. My two sons were born in Ottawa. They are Canadians. My wife Zoe and I could not be prouder of this fact or more grateful to this country for the lifelong friendships we have forged, for the memories it has gifted us, for the unshakeable generosity of spirit shown to us, and for more than a decade of unforgettable cultural and musical adventures. A part of our spirit will always remain here. And as for the remarkable NAC Orchestra: I began my tenure as their greatest fan and leave them with my love and admiration only deepened, profoundly so.”
Shelley’s current roles also include principal associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic and Music Director of Artis—Naples and the Naples Philharmonic. As Artistic Director and Music Director of Artis-Naples, home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic, he’ll provide leadership for all the organization’s undertakings.
In September 2025, Shelley will begin in his role of Music Director Designate of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in California, and take on the position fully for the 2026-2027 season.
Shelley grew up in a musical family with parents and concert pianists Howard Shelley and Hilary Macnamara in London, England. It was his grandmother who first taught him to play the cello, and he’d go on to study cello performance at the Royal College of Music, and the Robert Schumann Hochschule, Düsseldorf. He toured as a member of the World Orchestra for Peace in 2003 with conductor Valery Gergiev.
Alexander studied conducting in Germany, and became assistant conductor to Yan Pascal Tortelier, working with a number of ensembles including the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Among his accolades:
Along with NAC Orchestra releases, he released three live albums with the Nürnberger Symphoniker, and another with the Stockholm Philharmonic.
“Whether he’s conducting the NAC Orchestra or coaching community-based ensembles like OrKidstra, Alexander demonstrates the most remarkable ability to connect with artists and audiences that I have ever witnessed,” said NAC Orchestra Managing Director Nelson McDougall.
“He inherited an orchestra with an incredible legacy of sound production from his predecessor, Pinchas Zukerman, and continued to shape its artistic growth and elevate its reputation to new heights as a world-class ensemble. On behalf of our musicians and the entire organization, I thank him for his extraordinary contributions to the NAC Orchestra. Alexander leaves this orchestra in the best shape it has ever been, cementing a legacy that will live on in the musicians he mentored, the groundbreaking recordings and projects he championed, and the countless audiences he inspired throughout his tenure.”
Shelley’s tenure at the NAC Orchestra has been marked by a commitment to collaborations, and a recognition of the public dimensions of his role. He has been a champion of Canadian creators, commissioning more than 50 new works from Canadian composers, and music education.
Two of the commissions, including Jocelyn Morlock’s My Name Is Amanda Todd (from the 2017 album Life Reflected) and Golden Slumbers Kiss Your Eyes… by Ana Sokolović (from the 2018 album New Worlds), won the JUNO Award for Classical Composition of the Year.
He recognized the opportunity he had to take risks on new works, and showcase the versatility of the orchestra and its musicians. To that end, he spearheaded several projects, including UAQUE (2024), a multidisciplinary collaborative project was created with Colombian dance artist Andrea Peña (based in Montreal) and renowned Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky.
Under his lead, the orchestra undertook successful national and international tours, including 2017’s Canada 150 Tour, the 50th Anniversary European Tour in 2019, and the Truth in Our Time Tour, which took the NAC Orchestra to Carnegie Hall for the first time in three decades in 2022.
Together, the NAC Orchestra and Shelley recorded 12 albums, garnering three JUNO Award nominations in the Large Ensemble category.
Shelley leads the NAC Orchestra on a tour of South Korea and Japan through May and June, and plunges into his final season at Southam Hall in the fall.
We’re wishing Maestro Shelley all the best… and good luck to those who apply for the vacancy.
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