Nadège Foofat
Nadège Foofat is a conductor, violinist, violist, and advocate for innovation in thought, action, music, and culture. She is the Founder and Director of Classical at the MSV, a classical chamber music series in Winchester, Virginia.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Nadège grew up in an artistic family immersed in music, dance, and art. Drawn to classical music and dance from a young age, her musical talents flourished through exposure to exceptional teachers and the invaluable opportunity to work with internationally renowned artists in concert. An accomplished musician early on, she performed regularly on the national stage, served as principal viola of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada at age 14, and was invited at 16 to attend the Juilliard School for an undergraduate degree in viola performance under the mentorship of Karen Tuttle.
Over the past decade, Nadège has guest-conducted American orchestras, including the Nashville Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic, South Bend Philharmonic Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Lima Symphony Orchestra, and Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra. In Canada, she has conducted the Kamloops Symphony, Okanagan Symphony, l'Orchestre Symphonique de l'Estuaire, Symphony New Brunswick, Symphony Nova Scotia, and Vancouver Island Symphony. Her work in Europe includes engagements with the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Opera, as well as the Lithuanian State Orchestra.
A passionate champion of new music, Nadège’s studio collaborations include conducting Bespoke Songs by Jonathan Newman for the New Focus Recordings label, featuring soprano Fotina Naumenko—an album nominated for a 2025 Grammy. She has also written and conducted arrangements for singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant.
As the former Assistant Conductor to Kent Nagano at the Hamburg State Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra, Nadège played a key role in historical opera productions of Wozzeck, Lulu, Die Walküre, Madama Butterfly, Die Zauberflöte, and Stilles Meer, as well as new productions of Fidelio and Parsifal. She also contributed to Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra concerts at the Elbphilharmonie, including performances with the renowned St. Michaelis Choir for the International Musikfest Hamburg.
Alongside the great masterworks of the classical canon, Nadège’s concerts have featured works by Amy Beach, Christine Donkin, Vivian Fung, Jennifer Higdon, Mary Howe, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Missy Mazzoli, Florence Price, Joan Tower, and Gwyneth Walker. She is also considered a leading expert on the early Romantic French composer Louise Farrenc.
In 2018, Nadège was recognized by the League of American Orchestras with the Bruno Walter National Conductor Award for her “experience, talent, leadership potential, and commitment to a career in service to American orchestras.” That same year, she made her debut with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. She holds a Doctorate in Orchestral Conducting from the University of Montreal, an Artist Diploma in Contemporary Orchestral Conducting from the Università della Svizzera Italiana, a Master’s degree in viola performance from Yale University, and a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance from The Juilliard School.