Edmonton Symphony Orchestra's new music director steps to the podium

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When he steps on stage at the Winspear in late September, Jean-Marie Zeitouni will be more than just the conductor for the night. He will finally walk fully into his role as the Music Director at the city’s premier classical music organization, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

The announcement came in February, but for months, he has been working behind the scenes, planning and doing office work. But at the end of September, when the air chills, the leaves change, and the symphony returns to the Winspear Centre, Zeitouni will finally be able to make music with the orchestra he now leads.

“I am still pinching myself a little bit. I am so, so happy about it,” says Zeitouni about his new role. “I started working with the orchestra, going over there for meetings and planning and stuff for now since February. The only thing missing is the music-making. I can’t wait for the musical component.”

That musical connection happens Sept. 27 and 28 as the orchestra performs their season opener with the music of Antonín Dvořák and Sergei Prokofiev. It’s the same night that 19-year-old Edmonton violin prodigy Jacques Forestier takes the stage, a musician who started playing at the age of two and made his ESO debut at 11. They will also be performing a piece by famed Edmonton composer John Estacio called Ave. Estacio’s mother passed away while he was writing the piece and he calls it a celebration of life replete with joy.

“Jacques is young but has tremendous talent. It’s a nod to say we value the local talent. The ESO should be a place where local talent has a space to be displayed, to be showcased,” says Zeitouni. “Same thing with John Estacio. Obviously, John has been a resident composer with the ESO. He’s a good friend of mine and I have performed many of his pieces and several of his world premieres. It was important to me to have a piece by John on the program.”

The famed composer, described variously as eloquent and fiery, has big shoes to step into. He takes over from Alexander Prior, a British wunderkind who was appointed at the age of 23. Prior stepped down from the role in 2022. William Eddins was the long-time music director before him, in the role from 2005 to 2017 and then named Music Director Emeritus at the end of his term. He was a popular conductor on stage, his big personality winning accolades since his early performances.

Zeitouni’s own relationship with the ESO goes back almost two decades. His first performance with the orchestra came in 2006, his first time the Montreal native would conduct an orchestra outside of his home province of Quebec. Since then, he’s returned to the city to conduct almost once every year.

“To me, it’s been part of my development as a musician,” says Zeitouni. “I saw the orchestra change, evolve and grow as I myself was growing as a conductor, growing as a person, which is really essential in this job.”

It’s that connection with the community, that understanding of what Edmonton audiences want and making connections with outside organizations that Zeitouni strives for.

He talks about humility as he starts his tenure with the orchestra, of continuing the work they have already been doing and following the style they have already set. He credits the organization for the diverse range of music and the different communities that it can bring into the Winspear. They perform not only the classic repertoire but also venture into other genres and take on popular performances such as video game music.

It’s a difficult balance to strike, according to Zeitouni, giving audiences what they want while also providing them with something a touch out of the ordinary, something new to discover and something that might challenge their tastes. It’s a balancing act that takes place over the season, maybe multiple seasons, rather than in a single performance.

He is looking to work with other arts organizations in the city and across the province. Zeitouni will be at the helm when they partner with another big orchestra, Chorus Inspira, for a performance of Handel’s Messiah leading up to Christmas. A later performance of Carmina Burna will feature choirs from Korora Choirs, as well as new music by fellow Quebec musician Julian Bilodeau. The new piece, On Reason and Passion, was inspired by the early 20th-century Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran.

The symphony will perform a home and away series alongside the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in late April, bringing more than 125 musicians on stage from both organizations to perform The Planets by Gustav Holst at the Winspear. Both orchestras will then travel to Calgary in early May to repeat the performance.

Whatever else he sets out to do in his inaugural year, Zeitouni has already started bringing in more and more musicians, trying to expand the work and reach of the orchestra while exposing Edmonton audiences to new artists and experiences.

“I’m going to try to bring in talent that hasn’t been seen or heard in Edmonton before,” says Zeitouni. “It’s important that people feel welcome and feel interested to come and hear us.”

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