Ayna Lorenzo Mothwing Photography
The Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra’s annual Picnic with the Pops concert in August marked the beginning of music director and conductor Mélisse Brunet’s fifth season with the ensemble.
With the orchestra celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2026-2027, the atmosphere is quite momentous for Brunet, a native of Paris, France, who is the first woman to be named music director and conductor in the history of the Lexington Philharmonic.
But that almost didn’t happen.
A Vibe with the Musicians
The COVID-19 pandemic, which landed in Kentucky in March 2020, derailed the orchestra’s search for a new conductor, and when it resumed in the 2021-2022 season, the conductor candidate who was to direct the final concert that season dropped out of the running.
Brunet was recommended by a member of the orchestra who had performed under her baton in West Virginia. She was called in as a substitute for the concert, which included a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Symphony No. 5” on May 21, 2022. As she had been hired as a last-minute single-concert replacement for no-show candidate, Brunet was not being considered for the full-time role.
“That decision changed after the second rehearsal, when I began receiving messages from musicians that she should be considered,” said Carol McLeod, the Lexington Philharmonic board chair.
“When the musicians responded so strongly, we absolutely had to listen,” said Allison Kaiser, who retired in 2023 after 13 years as the orchestra’s executive director. She said Brunet brought an energy that resonated well with the orchestra’s musicians: “You could almost see the electricity crackling across the stage when she was working with them in rehearsals. It was phenomenal.”
Brunet said she felt an equally positive vibe from the musicians.
“It was my first time conducting the Prokofiev fifth, and I had very little time to prepare it,” Brunet said. “But the way we were making music—it was so organic, so much joy and sharing and flexibility. That was really fun, like a great moment that was more than music. We reached the magic already there.”
The feedback from the orchestra was impossible to ignore. The morning before the concert, McLeod, who is a Central Kentucky equine veterinarian, invited Brunet on a drive to a farm in Midway to visit a horse McLeod boards. During the 25-minute drive out Leestown Road into horse country, McLeod and Brunet chatted about music and life, getting to know each other. In the course of the conversation, McLeod was convinced Brunet was ready for the top job at the Lexington Philharmonic.
“When we arrived at the gate into the farm, I punched in the gate code and asked her if she would be interested in being considered for our music director position,” McLeod said. “She said, ‘Yes.’ The gates opened, and I said, ‘Let’s talk.’ ”
Running with the Baton
In the four years Brunet has led the Lexington Philharmonic, she has endeared herself to the Central Kentucky community. “Bonjour, y’all” was more than just a branding message the orchestra used to introduce her as the new conductor. It embodied Brunet’s eagerness to immerse herself in Kentucky.
Brooke Raby, who became the Lexington Philharmonic’s full-time executive director in 2024, said the desire to belong in the community is second nature to Brunet, who splits time between the Lexington Philharmonic and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic in Wilkes-Barre. That can be challenging when Brunet makes the trip from her home in Pennsylvania for rehearsals and performances with the Lexington Philharmonic, but Raby said the conductor is always focused on Lexington community relations when she comes to town.
“Even when she’s really, really tired, she’s game for that,” Raby said. “She wants to contribute to the holistic success of the organization, not just the performance. She also sees the bigger picture, and that’s really helpful.”
Violinist Margie Karp—the Lexington Philharmonic’s acting concertmaster, who has been a member of the orchestra since 2005—said it’s common for conductors to have more than one orchestra, but when Brunet is rehearsing and performing in Lexington, she’s all about being in Kentucky.
“The challenge is to find someone who can excite and engage the community while they are in town,” Karp said. “I think Mélisse does a great job with that.”
A Love for the Job
Brunet was one of five conductors featured in the documentary Maestra, directed by Maggie Contreras and produced by David Letterman and Melanie Miller, among others. The documentary followed Brunet and four other conductors in La Maestra, the only competition in the world for female orchestra conductors. During the filming, Brunet very simply expressed her reason for being drawn to conducting.
“I love the job,” she said in the film.
Brunet elaborated on that before a recent Lexington Philharmonic 65th season kickoff celebration.
“What I love the most is how complete it is and infinite. It’s endless,” Brunet said. “There are too many conductors who don’t like people. I love people. I love sharing my passion for music because it can take so many different forms. Without music, I would probably collapse. So, I need it.”
The job she loves requires more than expertise at the podium with the baton. It asks community orchestra conductors to acquire skills they likely did not learn in conservatory. Brunet said she has an appetite for it. She thrives on multitasking.
“I love every part of it, you know,” she said. “So, celebrating an anniversary like we are, or going to a fundraiser, or doing a clinic, or going to do an audition to hire new musicians, arriving at a rehearsal [at an outdoor venue] with a weather problem and having to change everything last minute—I like that urgency.”
Being the First
As the first woman to lead the Lexington Philharmonic, Brunet is conscious of her role as a pioneer, but she hopes that doesn’t outshine her musical talent.
“Personally, I can’t wait for the day that I’m not the first woman anymore as a conductor, because I’ve been a trailblazer so much and still am in many ways,” Brunet said. “And it’s really a lot on my shoulders, and I really hope that I can be considered just as a conductor at one point and not as a woman conductor.
“If I’m a model for other young women and young men who are going for a dream job that they are underrepresented in, hopefully I can help them to see that [they] can achieve it. I don’t feel any form of pressure otherwise, but I hope that one day [being the first woman] is not a thing anymore.”
Making Orchestra ‘Cool’ Again
Raby can attest to Brunet’s impact on the community. She said there has been a noticeable uptick in sales and concert subscriptions, attributable to Brunet’s growing popularity and the talent of the orchestra’s musicians.
“I think she’s just kind of made it cool to like live orchestral music again in Lexington,” Raby said. “She’s bringing something new to that experience.”
Brunet has helped build relationships with other Central Kentucky performing arts groups, such as the Lexington Singers.
Jefferson Johnson, the Lexington Singers music director, said he has enjoyed collaborating with Brunet, which has included the orchestra’s annual Cathedral Christmas concert and orchestral masterworks that require a chorus.
“Mélisse is an extraordinary musician,” Johnson said. “She has perfect pitch and an uncanny mastery of solfège—skills that help make her immediately credible to the choir. Personally, I learn something new every time I watch her work with the Singers. So, it’s rewarding for me, as well as for the choir.”
Brunet is not finished building a relationship with Central Kentucky, a fact that was expressed tangibly when she accepted a four-year contract extension.
“I don’t think I’m at the end of my work with the orchestra,” Brunet said. “I feel like there is still potential to go places and do things to explore and to develop.
“Everybody goes through that effort of getting to know each other—knowing what works, what doesn’t work, finding boundaries and developing some things, and now we are on a roll. So, why stop it now?”