Contract Renewed with OSM Through 2032

Apr 22, 2026

Canada’s Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Montreal Symphony Orchestra/OSM) has just announced the renewal of Music and Artistic Director Rafael Payare’s contract for a five-year term through the 2031–32 season. Payare will devote 14 to 16 weeks each season to the Montreal orchestra. The OSM places a strong emphasis on international tours, studio recordings, and broadcasts, and Payare’s tenure has already resulted in four albums on the Pentatone label and four international tours since 2022 – in South Korea, the U.S., and twice in Europe – with a fifth and a sixth scheduled for coming months. The conductor looks forward to taking the podium this summer for an additional European tour (Aug 19–28), followed by a tour to California in the fall (Oct 25–29).

Since being appointed by a unanimous vote as the OSM’s 9th Music Director in 2021, Payare has consolidated the ensemble’s place at the forefront of major North American orchestras while reaffirming its role as a cultural institution firmly rooted in the Montreal, Quebec, and Canadian communities. He elaborates:

“The love and connection I share with the orchestra’s musicians, just like the warm reception I continue to receive from the Montreal community, make me blessed to carry forward this wonderful relationship with the OSM. My family and I have made Montreal our home out of love for this cultural and gastronomical metropolis, and we are proud to be Montrealers. Since my appointment, I have pursued cycles devoted to the works of Mahler and Shostakovich, while also giving pride of place to Québécois, Canadian, and Latin American works and artists. In recording, I enjoyed the opportunity of delving into the post-Romantic Germanic repertoire and returning to the sources of the OSM with the French repertoire, notably Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique and Ravel’s ballet Daphnis et Chloé. So many beautiful programs have been achieved since 2022, which makes me even more eager for what we can build together in the future.”

The renewal of Payare’s contract also heralds a continued commitment to education and the community. A pillar of the OSM’s mission since 1934, education holds particular significance for the conductor, shaped both by his roots in El Sistema and by his commitment to training emerging Quebec and Canadian musicians. Fulfilling a long-held dream, Payare created the Programme El Sistema OSM to enable young people from Montréal-Nord to learn orchestral music completely free of charge. Other educational initiatives include masterclasses, collaborations with the conservatory network, the OSM Competition, and the Orchestral Immersion project, all with the fundamental goal of supporting the next generation of musicians. Likewise, community engagement initiatives include free or low-cost concerts, school matinees that accommodate over 30,000 young people annually, and large-scale concerts in parks.