Alexander Shelley on quitting while it's good, and why that's harder than it sounds
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The National Arts Centre has announced the departure of Alexander Shelley, the much-loved music director of the NAC Orchestra, after more than a decade in the position.
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The 45-year-old maestro will leave Ottawa in July 2026, and head for California to lead the Pacific Symphony in Los Angeles.
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In this lightly edited interview, Shelley reflected on his time in Ottawa, a chapter of his life that saw several significant milestones, including the births of his two sons and the commissioning of more than 50 new orchestral works.
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A: We're going to be ending the relationship on a great high, which is what you want. We're in the middle of an amazing recording cycle. We've got this tour (to South Korea and Japan) coming up. We have amazing guests coming this season, like Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang and Gabriela Montero and just the list goes on and on. Augustine Hadelich. They are some of the finest artists in the world, with whom we've built deep and meaningful relationships over the last decade. I think this season rivals any of the great orchestras in the world.
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A: Yes, of course. Part of our soul as a family, and for me personally, will always be here. For my wife and our children who are Canadians, who were born here, this is much more than a job. This is a very important chapter in our lives as a family.
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A: This orchestra, the administration and the audience are a family, too. When you're making music at the level that we are, it's a forging of deep relationships with the musicians. It's not just a job where you turn up and do a thing. And we've been through a lot. We went through the whole pandemic together, the convoy. When you think about it, there have been enormous social shifts between 2015 and 2025.
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A: This orchestra is a national gem in the excellence that it represents. I feel that I have been part of a line of musical directors here who have understood that it's incumbent on us to continue that growth of excellence. This is one of the elite ensembles of the world. I believe that through the work on stage, through the hiring, and the growth of the organization, we can continue to to have that upward trajectory.
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A: I remember when I took this job I was thinking deeply about the role of a national organization, and I (realized) the role of a national organization is to to lean into the risks that other organizations that have different models of funding and support can't lean into as easily.
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