Stutzmann debuted as a concert singer at the
Salle Pleyel, Paris, 1985, in Bach's Magnificat. She is noted for her interpretations of French
mélodies and German lieder. Her recital debut was the following year in
Nantes. She began performing and recording with pianist
Inger Södergren [
fr] in 1994.[2] She also took part in the project of
Ton Koopman and the
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir to record Bach's complete vocal works. In addition to her concert work, Stutzmann has taught at the
Geneva University of Music.[3]
Stutzmann made her American singing debut in 1995 at
Lincoln Center in New York and her
Carnegie Hall debut two years later.[1]
Conducting career
Stutzmann also developed an interest in conducting, which she decided to pursue in the early 2000s. Her mentors in this field have included
Jorma Panula,
Seiji Ozawa, and
Simon Rattle.[1][4][5]
In 2009, Stutzmann founded the
chamber orchestraOrfeo 55,[6] with which she has performed as both soloist and conductor.[7] She served as its artistic director until Orfeo 55 ceased operations in April 2019.[8][1]
In September 2017, Stutzmann became principal guest conductor of the
RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland, with a contract for three years.[9][10] In 2018, she was appointed chief conductor of the
Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, in Kristiansand, Norway,[11] the first female chief conductor in the orchestra's history. In December 2020, her Kristiansand contract was extended through 2023.[12] She concluded her Kristiansand tenure at the close of the 2022-2023 season.
In the USA, the
Philadelphia Orchestra announced the appointment of Stutzmann as its next principal guest conductor in December 2020, the first female conductor ever named to this Philadelphia post, effective with the 2021–2022 season, with a contract of 3 years.[13]
Separately, in December 2020, Stutzmann was guest conductor of the
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She returned in February 2021 for an additional engagement, in a streamed quarantine concert.[14] In October 2021, the orchestra announced the appointment of Stutzmann as its next music director, effective with the 2022–2023 season, with an initial contract of four years. Stutzmann is the first female conductor to be named music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.[15]
In July 2023, to great acclaim, she made her
Bayreuth Festival conducting debut, only the second woman in the festival's 150 year history, with Wagner's Tannhäuser. Shortly after, it was announced that she would be returning for the 2024 season.
Quotes
Il y a deux types d’artistes: ceux qui s’attachent toute leur vie à montrer à quel point ce qu’ils sont en train de faire est difficile – ils ont leur public –, puis il y a ceux qui passent leur vie à essayer de faire croire que ce n’est pas du tout difficile, catégorie à laquelle j’appartiens. C’est sans doute aussi une forme de folie. C’est moins spectaculaire, peut-être, mais je préfère que le public puisse aller à l’essentiel. Je ne veux pas qu’il s’arrête à la performance, tout en la remarquant, mais qu’il puisse s’abandonner d’abord à la beauté de la musique.[16]
There are two types of artists: those that strive their whole life to show how much what they're doing is difficult – they [do] have their audience –, then there are those who spend their life trying to make people believe it is not at all difficult, which is the category I belong to. That is also probably a form of madness. It is less spectacular, perhaps, but I prefer that the audience be able to go to what is essential [in the music]. I do not want them to stop at [being impressed with] the performance, even though they might notice it, but that they be able to abandon themselves to the beauty of the music.
^"L'orchestre Orfeo 55 cesse ses activités" [The Orfeo 55 orchestra ceases its activities].
France Musique. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2020. The announcement was made on social networks during the morning of Wednesday April 24, 2019. The reasons mentioned: the financial situation of the orchestra as well as the lack of available time of its musical director Nathalie Stutzmann.