Bernard Labadie is internationally recognized as one of the foremost conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire. He is founder and Music Director of Les Violons du Roy and the choir La Chapelle de Québec, both of whom are based in his hometown of Québec City. With these ensembles he has toured extensively to major venues including Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Concertgebouw, the Barbican Centre, and has appeared at the Whitsun Festival (Salzburg). Labadie was Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York from 2017-2025. 

Recent and upcoming guest appearances include the Canadian Opera Company, The Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Boston Baroque, NDR Radiophilharmonie (Hanover), National Symphony (Washington), Orchestre National de Lyon, National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa) and Chicago Symphony.

In North America Labadie has conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the symphony orchestras of Boston, St. Louis, Pittsburgh and New World, among others. Internationally he has led performances with the Royal Concertgebouw, Bavarian Radio Symphony, Academy of Ancient Music, The English Concert, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Royal Scottish National, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony, Helsinki Radio Symphony Orchestra, WDR Symphony (Cologne) and HR Symphony (Frankfurt).

 Labadie’s discography includes several award-winning recordings on Dorian, ATMA, Erato/Warner Classics, and Hyperion. Highlights include Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and Mozart’s Requiem with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec both of which received Canada’s Juno Award.

In recognition of his artistic achievements, Labadie has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec and a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres du Québec. 

Bernard Labadie has established himself worldwide as one of the preeminent conductors of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, a reputation closely tied to his work with Les Violons du Roy (for which he served as Music Director from its inception until 2014) and La Chapelle de Québec. With these two ensembles he has regularly toured Canada, the US and Europe, in major venues and festivals such as Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kennedy Center, The Barbican, The Concertgebouw, and the Salzburg Festival, among others. He is the Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York.

Recent guest conducting highlights include the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Handel & Haydn Society, National Arts Center Orchestra, L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre National de Lyon, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, and NDR Radiophilharmonie.

Since his triumphant debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, Mr. Labadie has become a regular presence on the podiums of the major North American orchestras, including the Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, New World and San Francisco symphonies; the Cleveland and Philadelphia orchestras; the Los Angeles and New York philharmonics; the Handel & Haydn Society; and L’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.

International audiences in past seasons have seen and heard Maestro Labadie conduct the Bayerischen Rundfunks Symphony Orchestra, Academy of Ancient Music, English Concert & Chorus, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, BBC Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Kammerakademie Potsdam, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of the Collegium Vocale Ghent, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester (Cologne), and Zurich Chamber Orchestra.

On the opera podium, Maestro Labadie has served tenures as artistic director of L’Opéra de Québec and L’Opéra de Montréal. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut with Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, a work which he also led at the Cincinnati Opera. Other operatic highlights include Handel’s Orlando with Glimmerglass Opera, Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the Mostly Mozart Festival, Mozart’s Lucio Silla with Santa Fe Opera, and concert versions of Handel’s Theodora and Samson. In 2017 he made his long-awaited debut with the Canadian Opera Company, conducting Die Zauberflöte.

Bernard Labadie’s extensive discography includes many critically acclaimed recordings on Dorian, ATMA and Virgin Classics labels, including Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and a collaborative recording of Mozart’s Requiem with Les Violons du Roy and La Chapelle de Québec, both of which received Canada’s Juno Award. Other recordings include C.P.E. Bach’s complete cello concertos with Truls Mørk and Les Violons du Roy; J.S. Bach’s complete piano concertos with Alexandre Tharaud, both on Virgin Classics; and Haydn’s piano concertos with Marc-Andre Hamelin as soloist, released by Hyperion.

In 2016, Bernard Labadie received the Samuel de Champlain award in Paris. The Canadian government appointed him as an “Officer of the Order of Canada” in 2005, and his home province named him a “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Québec” in 2006.