TSO’s honeymoon with conductor Gustavo Gimeno leads to longer-term commitment to 2029/30

As musical courtships go, that of Spanish-born Gustavo Gimeno and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra was swift.

Gimeno first appeared with the TSO as a guest conductor in February 2018. Seven months later he was handed the baton as the orchestra’s new music director. Now, with almost three years still left in his initial contract, Gimeno, 46, has agreed to an extension that will keep him on the podium through the 2029-30 season.

New conductors can usually count on a pleasant honeymoon but Gimeno’s relationship with the orchestra has all the markers of an enduring romance.

Jonathan Crow, the TSO’s long-serving concertmaster explained why.

“From our very first rehearsal he believed in us to achieve something together with him. He was going for the greatest artistic result that he could and he trusted that we were on board with him. I found that very inspiring.”

There’s a popular but nowadays generally mistaken notion of orchestral conductors as quasi-dictators who impose their artistic vision on an ensemble of obedient musicians; thus the magisterial honorific “Maestro.” Gimeno is not fond of the term and his approach is the opposite.

“Gustavo does not feel the need to be in an environment where everyone serves him”, said Mark Williams, who joined the TSO as chief executive officer in April. “Gustavo is very focused on the music. He realizes the way to get great performances is through collaboration not by being a dictator.”

“There’s an incredible respect that goes both ways whenever Gustavo interacts with the orchestra”, said Crow. “At the end of the day, he’s the music director. He’s the boss. He can challenge us but we know he’s not trying to prove a point. Gustavo really loves the orchestra and he simply wants us to be as good as possible.”

A harmonious relationship between music director and head administrator is also crucial to an orchestra’s success. Gimeno and Williams appear to have forged one.

“Working with Gustavo was one of the draws for me to come to Toronto,” says Williams, a former French horn player turned manager who came to the TSO from the Cleveland Orchestra where he served as chief artistic and operations officer.

It helps that the two men have a prior history, Gimeno made the first of several guest appearances in Cleveland in 2015.

“We were working on programmes together, so I already had a sense of who he is artistically”, said Williams. “Gustavo pushes for what he wants but also realizes that you have to sell tickets.”

Like most of his profession, the polylingual Gimeno leads an international career. Until 2025 he retains his position as music director of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra with which he usually spends about 10 weeks a year. When that decade-long tenure ends, Gimeno will assume the prestigious post of music director at Spain’s foremost opera house, the Teatro Real. Apart from overall programming responsibilities, he expects to conduct two operas in Madrid as well as a number of orchestral concerts. Beyond these positions, Gimeno, increasingly in demand as a guest conductor, squeezes in as many engagements as his busy calendar permits.

Gimeno’s domestic base is in Amsterdam.

“It’s where my scores and clothes are,” he joked.

It was as a student at Amsterdam’s music conservatory that he met his Italian-born wife. In 2002 Gimeno went on to become a percussionist with the world-renowned Royal Concertgebouw. Laura Giannangeli transitioned from oboist to music manager, until the couple had a daughter, Alba, 11 years ago. As Gimeno explained, his wife now manages all the family’s affairs, which includes bringing their daughter on occasional visits to Toronto.

So where exactly, then, is home? Gimeno has calculated that in total he spends more time in Toronto than anywhere else, 13 weeks a year. He finds living in hotels here more convenient than renting an apartment because, among other inducements, there’s a fitness room on site, someone else does the laundry and you can have food delivered to your room if you’re too busy or exhausted — conducting is very physical — to go out.

“Of course Amsterdam is my home in one sense”, explained Gimeno, “but when I’m in Toronto I don’t feel that I’m not home. When I’m making great music I’m in heaven, and that’s home for me.”

Gimeno has really taken to his North American artistic home. One of his favourite ways to unwind is to explore Toronto’s endless culinary options. He’s tasted a large variety of cuisines but is still eager to try Vietnamese.

“I will sometimes ask a cab driver for recommendations,” said Gimeno.

Trim and dapper, Gimeno also likes to keep in shape. If you live downtown, don’t be surprised to see him out jogging. Gimeno will sometimes go for a short run a couple of hours before a concert to get his body primed.

Unlike those who find Toronto’s cheek-by-jowl mix of architectural styles unsettlingly discordant, Gimeno sees it as part of the city’s unique identity.

“You look and there may be three different buildings side by side that have nothing to do with each other in period, proportion or material construction. In a way it’s insane and yet they form a unity in my mind. This is Toronto.”

A word that you’ll frequently hear used to describe Gimeno is “charming.” He has an unaffected naturalness that easily endears him to others.

“Apart from an incredible intellect and musical sense Gustavo has a higher level of emotional intelligence than almost anyone I’ve ever met”, said Williams. “He walks into a room and he just gets people.”

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