Coeur d’Alene Symphony to celebrate 40th anniversary, new conductor Jan Pellant

A 40-year anniversary is nothing to scoff at, but a new conductor brings all the more reason to celebrate.

The Coeur d’Alene Symphony will celebrate four decades of music and the addition of Conductor Jan Pellant on Saturday at its 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Coeur d’Alene Resort.

The two-year search for a new conductor came to an end earlier this summer when it was announced that Pellant would take over as artistic director and conductor after David Demand, who led the symphony for 15 years, announced his resignation two seasons ago.

Pierre-Alain Chevalier, of Houston; Barry Kolman, of New York City; Danh Pham, of Pullman; and Jorge Luis Uzcategui, of Spokane, also competed for the position.

Pellant, a native of the Czech Republic, has been music director of the Lexington Chamber Orchestra since 2015.

He has conducted the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Talich Chamber Orchestra, Pavel Haas Chamber Orchestra, Vidin Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Bethel Park Orchestra and Orchestra Enigmatic as well as orchestras in Thailand, Japan and the United States.

He has also led concert tours in Romania, China and France.

Pellant studied at the Prague Academy of the Performing Arts, has earned degrees from the Prague Conservatory and Carnegie Mellon University, and is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate in orchestra conducting at the University of Kentucky.

The anniversary event will also feature hors d’oeuvres, dessert, entertainment and an auction.

Pellant’s inaugural season with the Coeur d’Alene Symphony begins with “Nineteenth Century Grandeur: Borodin in the Steppes of Central Asia” on Oct. 5-6. The concerts feature guest musician Felicity James.