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Lexington Philharmonic's first female director makes debut this weekend

Philharmonic
Posted at 11:00 PM, Oct 20, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-20 23:27:01-04

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Lexington Philharmonic's newest music director, Mélisse Brunet, is making her debut with the orchestra this Saturday.

She will conduct her first LexPhil concert, a program entitled Limitless.

"I'm so excited," Brunet said at a rehearsal Thursday night. "It's a bit surreal but I'm very excited."

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She was hired after filling in last minute as a guest conductor in May. She made such an impression, she landed the director gig.

"There's a relationship between an orchestra and a conductor that's hard to put into words, but when it clicks it's wonderful, and it clicks with Mélisse," principal cellist Benjamin Karp said.

Brunet is the Philharmonic's first female director since its founding in 1961. She hopes by being in this role she is showing little girls they can do it too.

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"To see that others can make it, it's going to inspire them to realize their own dreams," Brunet said.

A native of Paris, France, Brunet is also the Director of Orchestral Studies at the University of Iowa-School of Music.

Limitless will be performed Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Singletary Center for the Arts on the UK campus. Tickets can be purchased here.