“Valérie Sainte-Agathe, artistic director and conductor of the San Francisco Girls Chorus since 2013, is the new director of the Philharmonia Baroque Chorale,” writes Susan Elliott in Tuesday’s (6/14) Musical America (subscription required). “She arrives at the end of Richard Edgarr’s first season as music director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale (PBO) … Sainte-Agathe … succeeds Bruce Lamot, who … retired at the end of 2019-20, after a 25-year tenure. Sainte-Agathe, who has led groups from the Philip Glass Ensemble to TENET Vocal Artists and the New York Philharmonic, holds a bachelor’s degree in choral conducting from Université Paul Valéry in Montpellier; a diplome d’études musicales in piano, chamber music, and theory, from the Montpellier Conservatory; a master’s in management from the University of Montpellier; and a master’s in cultural project management from Paul Valéry University … Apart from her early-music bona-fides, she has a particular interest in new music. Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has also named its first-ever assistant conductor/conducting fellow, David Belkovski. He previously assisted Gary Wedow for Handel’s Teseo, and has directed Juilliard’s period ensemble, Juilliard415. He joined PBO on its 2021 tour … In other PBO news, [Davóne ] Tines’s residency as creative partner has been extended.”
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