Les Violons du Roy announce the end of Jonathan Cohen's tenure as Music Director
An exceptional journey of over ten years marked by artistic innovation and international recognition
Quebec City, August 26, 2025 – Les Violons du Roy announce that Jonathan Cohen has completed his tenure as Music Director at the end of the 2024-2025 season, thus concluding a remarkable journey of over ten years with the Quebec ensemble. The public will have the opportunity to see him again conducting Les Violons du Roy in three programs during the 2025-2026 season.
An exceptional artistic legacy
Since his debut as guest conductor in 2014-2015, Jonathan Cohen has shaped the trajectory of Les Violons du Roy through his bold artistic vision and inspiring leadership. His record testifies to a decade of excellence: 119 concerts presented with 51 different programs, including four prestigious international tours that took the orchestra to Spain, France, Germany, Slovenia, the United States, China, and South Korea.
Under his direction, the ensemble has significantly enriched its recording catalog with three albums and two Médici.tv recordings, notably the two volumes of Mozart piano concertos which will remain one of the landmark achievements of his tenure.
Innovation and audience development
Jonathan Cohen has also left his profound mark on youth development and pedagogical innovation, having made accessibility and musical transmission central priorities of his mandate. His lasting initiatives include the Émergence program, a true intergenerational bridge for training a new generation of musicians, the Concerto Competition offering young soloists invaluable professional experience, and the Domaine Forget Stage in Charlevoix which has become an essential summer gathering. The commented dress rehearsals have created a new intimacy between the ensemble and its audience by revealing the behind-the-scenes aspects of artistic creation. The ephemeral Vivaldi, Mozart and Company series, created before the pandemic, testifies to his constant desire to democratize baroque music through more accessible and convivial formats.
Artistic recognition
Jonathan Cohen's work with Les Violons du Roy has been crowned with numerous distinctions. The ensemble won the OPUS Prize for Baroque Concert of the Year for Handel's Alcina during the 2022-2023 season. Several prestigious nominations have also highlighted the excellence of their collaborations, notably an EMMY AWARD nomination for the ARC GLASS/HANDEL album, as well as JUNO, FELIX, and OPUS prize nominations for the Mozart album with Charles Richard-Hamelin.
Repertoire enrichment
During his tenure, Jonathan Cohen has considerably expanded the repertoire of Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec by introducing works by C.P.E. Bach, J.C. Bach, Haydn and Vivaldi, as well as Benjamin Britten, Philip Glass, Alfred Schnittke, and Grażyna Bacewicz. This stylistic openness has allowed the orchestra and choir to push the boundaries of their repertoires.
Remarkable artistic collaborations
Jonathan Cohen has also enriched the programming by inviting new soloists of international caliber, notably sopranos Carolyn Sampson and Robin Johannsen, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, mandolinist Avi Avital, and cellist Nicolas Altstaedt, while maintaining fruitful collaborations with Quebec artists such as Vincent Lauzer, Marc-André Hamelin, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, and Karina Gauvin.
Challenges and resilience
Jonathan Cohen's journey with Les Violons du Roy was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which particularly affected the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons. Despite the cancellation of numerous concerts and tours, notably the one to the United States including debuts in Philadelphia, the ensemble was able to maintain its artistic cohesion and resume its activities with vigor.
"Les Violons du Roy wish to express their profound gratitude to Jonathan Cohen for his exceptional dedication and invaluable contribution to the ensemble's influence. Beyond the numbers and awards, it is his communicative passion, artistic rigor, and human generosity that have marked all those who have had the chance to work alongside him. Jonathan leaves a lasting legacy that will continue to inspire the ensemble and its musicians for years to come."
– Mario Welsh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Les Violons du Roy
The organization wishes him the greatest success in his future artistic projects and hopes to maintain the privileged ties forged over these years of fruitful collaboration.
What's next
Les Violons du Roy will communicate their plans regarding Jonathan Cohen's succession in the coming weeks. The organization is committed to ensuring a harmonious transition that will respect the mission and values that have always guided Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, while preserving the artistic excellence that has characterized the ensemble since its founding.
Jonathan Cohen at the concert L'Oratorio de Noël de Bach on December 14, 2023, at the Palais Montcalm. Photo: David Mendoza Hélaine
Jonathan Cohen and soloists Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Philippe Jaroussky at the concert Lemieux et Jaroussky en parfaite complicité on September 22, 2022, at the Palais Montcalm. Photo: David Mendoza Hélaine