Born in Paris, Tortelier is the son of the cellist Paul Tortelier, and the brother of Maria de la Pau. Tortelier began piano and violin studies at age 4. At age 14, he was a first-prize winner for violin at the Paris Conservatoire.

Tortelier has worked and recorded extensively in the United Kingdom. He was principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 1989 to 1992. He served as Principal Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester from 1992 to 2003, and now has the title of conductor emeritus with the orchestra. He has also been a Principal Guest Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (NYOGB).

Tortelier served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 2005 to 2008. He was principal conductor of the Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP) from 2009 to 2011, and had the title of honorary guest conductor with the OSESP from 2011 to 2013. Tortelier first guest-conducted the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (ISO) in 1998. In October 2015, the ISO announced the appointment of Tortelier as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season, with an contract of 3 years. Tortelier stood down as principal conductor of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in June 2019.

Tortelier's recordings include his own orchestration of Ravel's Trio. He is a regular recording artist for Chandos Records, and has conducted commercial recordings for Chandos with the BBC Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra. On Plasson's 1978 recording of Orphée aux enfers, he plays the violin solos.

The first cellist to win Grand Prize at the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Competition (2019), and the first-ever Canadian laureate at the prestigious International Paulo Cello Competition, 22-year-old Bryan Cheng has already secured a distinctive place in the world of classical music. He made his solo debut at the age of 10 with I Musici de Montréal, his Carnegie Hall recital debut at 14, and his Elbphilharmonie debut in 2018 with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.

Highlights of the 2019–20 season include a solo appearance with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, a Panama tour with Orchestra of the Americas, recitals as cellist of the Cheng² Duo in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal’s Salle Bourgie, as well as a European tour of his Beethoven 2020 project, Ludwig & Beyond. Festival appearances include Russia’s Trans-Siberian Art Festival, Italy’s Trasimeno Festival and Orford Musique.

Bryan Cheng has released a trilogy of albums on German label audite: Russian Legends (2019), Violonchelo del fuego (2018) and Violoncelle français (2016). He currently studies at the Universität der Künste Berlin with Jens Peter Maintz, and plays the ca. 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius cello generously on loan from the Canada Council for the Arts.

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Since its debut in 1969, the National Arts Centre (NAC) Orchestra has been praised for the passion and clarity of its performances, its visionary educational programs, and its prominent role in nurturing Canadian creativity. Under the leadership of Music Director Alexander Shelley, the NAC Orchestra reflects the fabric and values of Canada, reaching and representing the diverse communities we live in with daring programming, powerful storytelling, inspiring artistry, and innovative partnerships.

Alexander Shelley began his tenure as Music Director in 2015, following Pinchas Zukerman’s 16 seasons at the helm. Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and former Chief Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (2009–2017), he has been in demand around the world, conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, DSO Berlin, Leipzig Gewandhaus, and Stockholm Philharmonic, among others, and maintains a regular relationship with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the German National Youth Orchestra.

Each season, the NAC Orchestra features world-class artists such as the newly appointed Artist-in-Residence James Ehnes, Angela Hewitt, Joshua Bell, Xian Zhang, Gabriela Montero, Stewart Goodyear, Jan Lisiecki, and Principal Guest Conductor John Storgårds. As one of the most accessible, inclusive, and collaborative orchestras in the world, the NAC Orchestra uses music as a universal language to communicate the deepest of human emotions and connect people through shared experiences.

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