Biography
JEAN-MARIE ZEITOUNI, conductor
Recognized as one of the most accomplished conductors of his generation, Jean-Marie Zeitouni stands out for his expressive, precise, and deeply committed style. Appreciated in both the symphonic and opera repertoires, he regularly conducts the most prestigious orchestras in Europe and America.
In February 2025, following a highly competitive international search, Jean-Marie became Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The third Canadian and ninth person to hold this key position in the orchestra’s nearly 75-year history, this significant appointment crowns a 19-year collaboration during which Jean-Marie served as a guest conductor, forging strong ties with the musicians and becoming a clear audience favorite.
This major appointment was paired with an equally prestigious engagement in the operatic realm: since October 2025, 21 years after making his professional opera debut with the very same company, he has served as the Artistic and Music Director of the Opéra de Québec and the Festival d’opéra de Québec. Warmly welcomed back by the institution where his opera career began, he is bringing a renewed artistic vision focused on cultural community outreach, engaging younger audiences, and opening workshops to the general public. His first official season at the helm of the institution opens brilliantly in the summer of 2026, a milestone year featuring an ambitious program celebrating 40 years of operatic excellence in Quebec City.
During the 2026–2027 season, in addition to his concerts in Edmonton, he will conduct, among other productions, Les Dialogues des Carmélites and Tosca at the Opéra de Québec, and Mireille at the Opéra de Marseille, alongside guest conducting engagements with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier and the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston.
Jean-Marie recently conducted La Cenerentola at the Opéra de Québec and Carmen at the Opéra de Montréal. On the concert stage, he has collaborated with the Milwaukee and Montréal symphony orchestras, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, the Orquestra Nacional do Porto, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, the Hamilton Philharmonic, the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and Les Violons du Roy at the Festival du Domaine Forget.
Among his notable productions are Sigurd in Marseille, Carmen in Lausanne, and Médée in Montpellier. His conducting of Massenet’s Grisélidis with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier (performed in Montpellier and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris) was also recorded discographically. Active in the recording studio, he conducted an album dedicated to French cello music with the Brussels Philharmonic (Bru Zane label) and a recital of French arias with soprano Vannina Santoni and the Orchestre National de Lille. Under the ATMA Classique label, he also recorded the album Solstice (2026) with the Orchestre classique de Montréal, spotlighting the guitar and the bandoneon.
Finally, he conducted the two world premieres by composer Julien Bilodeau with librettos by Michel Marc Bouchard at the Opéra de Montréal: La Beauté du monde and La Reine-Garçon, two important milestones in the history of lyrical creation in Canada.
Jean-Marie made his debut in Moscow with the Russian National Orchestra and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris for an operatic program alongside Marie-Nicole Lemieux. He conducted Bruno Ravella’s production of Werther with great success in Nancy and Montpellier, a revival that was videotaped in June 2021. In Nancy, he led the orchestra in Ariane et Barbe Bleue, where his conducting received unanimous critical acclaim.
In Canada, he has worked with major symphony orchestras, including those of Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec City, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Halifax, as well as the National Arts Orchestra. Abroad, he has conducted in Hong Kong, Moscow, Cincinnati, Rio de Janeiro, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Oregon, Monterey, San Antonio, and Omaha, as well as with the Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, the Pacific Symphony, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonique de Marseille, the National Symphony of Mexico, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Detroit Symphony. He also regularly participates in the Festival de Lanaudière, the Festival du Domaine Forget, the Round Top (Texas) and Grant Park (Illinois) festivals, as well as the Elora Festival and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York.
Over the years, Jean-Marie has served as Artistic Director of the Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal, Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival and the Columbus Symphony in Ohio. For over twelve years, he was a key collaborator with Les Violons du Roy, where he successively held the positions of Conductor in residence, Associate Conductor, and Principal Guest Conductor. A graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal in conducting, percussion and musical writing, where he studied with Raffi Armenian, Jean-Marie now teaches conducting and conducts the orchestra.