Pascal Verrot

Who is Pascal Verrot?

Pascal Verrot is a French-born orchestra conductor who holds the post of principal conductor of the Sendai Philharmonic and former musical director of Picardy Orchestra in France. Prior to that, he was music director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the oldest orchestra in Canada, from 1991 to 1997.

Born in Lyons, France, in 1959, Verrot holds degrees both from the Sorbonne University in Paris and the Paris Conservatory, where he studied for four years with Jean-Sébastien Béreau, winning first prize in the conducting competition. During that time, he made his debut as an oboist and as conductor of the wind ensemble Union Musicale of Villefranche-sur-Saône. He also studied for three years with Franco Ferrara at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy.

Verrot made his international debut in 1985, when he was a prize-winner at the Tokyo International Conducting Competition. Since then, his guest conducting appearances have included many performances in Japan, in France and in North-America.