Metropolitan Orchestra | Naomi Woo, chef of the future

Her name may not mean anything to you, but Naomi Woo, who will conduct the Orchester Métropolitain concert this Tuesday Eternal Orlandoalready has a well-filled CV, and a schedule to match. Meeting with the charismatic Canadian conductor during a rehearsal at the Maison symphonique last week, to talk about her journey, her profession and the transformative power of music.

The route

Naomi Woo was born in Newfoundland and raised in Vancouver, where her family still resides. “We lived in St. John’s until I was 6 years old. That’s where I took my first piano lessons! », says the musician in impeccable French. “That comes from my French immersion classes at school in Vancouver. » Naomi Woo is primarily a pianist, and has accumulated diplomas: a master’s degree in piano at Yale, a diploma of advanced studies in piano at the University of Montreal, a doctorate in musicology in England… “During my studies, I started to conduct student orchestras. It was only at the end of my doctorate that I said to myself that I would like to do this more professionally. That’s where I applied to be assistant conductor with the Winnipeg Orchestra. And I got it! » What year was it? “In 2019.” And how old was she again? She smiles: “29 years old. »

Learning

As a pianist, Naomi Woo has always tried to make her instrument sound… like an orchestra. This is why she wanted to become a chef. “Why not have all the colors? », says the one who has a penchant for “collaborative work”. “The piano is very solitary. » For her, conducting is first and foremost a matter of trust between the conductor and the musicians, and the only way to learn this profession… is to practice it. “You can’t learn that in classes. Conducting is not something cerebral: you need a relationship with people, you need to understand how an orchestra works, and everyone works differently. »

The Metropolitan Orchestra

In 2021, Naomi Woo was part of the first cohort of the Orchester Métropolitain Conducting Academy. “Seeing from the inside how an orchestra like OM works, and Yannick Nézet-Séguin with OM, that accelerated my learning. » Yannick Nézet-Séguin then hired her as artistic advisor and assistant conductor. In addition to being “another pair of ears” for the leader in the room, she conducts concerts, including this Eternal Orlando this week, which by combining theater and symphonic music corresponds to everything she loves. “Lorraine Pintal has made an intelligent and imaginative adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s novel. Since the character was born in the 1500s and died in the 2000s, it covers almost the entire history of orchestral music. It’s rare that we can do that in a single concert. »

Diversity

Pendant Eternal Orlandowe will also be able to hear a creation by Haitian-American composer Nathalie Joachim, a commission from OM and two other American orchestras. Like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Naomi Woo believes that we need to add diversity to the world of classical music. “If we want our music to attract people, what we play must be representative of our community. » She herself, as a woman, represents the change that is taking place in this male preserve. “I’m lucky, I’ve had a lot of mentors in this profession, like Tania Miller, who was the assistant conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. When I was 12, I played a concerto that she conducted, and it was one of the first times I said to myself that I could become a conductor. I think I’m starting my career at a good time. »

Training

Newly appointed head of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Naomi Woo finds it important to get involved with young people. For musical training, of course, but also to build the orchestral world of tomorrow… and learn from them. “I feel very lucky, and it’s a big responsibility too. That of showing them what the quality of the music we play can be, but also the quality of our values. In classical music, there are stories of very toxic hierarchies. It’s a culture that’s changing, but we have to continue to work on that, on relationships with others. » For Naomi Woo, music is a window onto a better world, which allows us to imagine the future. “By working with young people, we have the opportunity to create the world we want. »

The sequel

Naomi Woo’s list of engagements with different orchestras is impressive. How does she manage to juggle such a schedule? “To be a conductor or a musician, you have to have the ability to be completely present in every moment… so I don’t think about that too much!” What I think about is the people around me, and what are we going to do now to create music as beautiful as possible, and create a connection with the audience. » When asked what her professional goals are, she thinks a little. “My goals…I don’t think about what, but why. In 10-15 years, will I still have a connection to what makes music important to me, to us, to the world? That’s my goal, how I can keep that at the center of what I do and my life. »

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