Jean-Marie Zeitouni on the Start of the Season

Jean-Marie Zeitouni on the Start of the Season

By Micha Oostenbrink

The start of the 2025/26 season is just around the corner, and ESO musicians are preparing for new, albeit familiar, leadership on the podium. "We are entering a very important period. Everything that we will touch together has a meaningful impact on the relationship." says Jean-Marie Zeitouni, on the beginning of his tenure as new Music Director of the ESO.

Jean-Marie will usher in the new season, conducting two performances on September 27 & 28 featuring works by Antonín Dvořák, Sergei Prokofiev, and John Estacio. "It will be my first official concert as the new Music Director. It's a big deal for me, and I'm especially happy that there are many ingredients close to my heart," says Jean-Marie.

The concert will begin with Estacio's Avé, which was composed in January 2025 and had its ESO premiere earlier this year in a concert celebrating his legacy as a composer. "I know how important John's music is to Edmontonians. I have been working with him for 20 years and have performed many of his works around the world," says Jean-Marie. "To have one of his most recent pieces as the first notes we play together as the symphony is very symbolic to me."

Young Violinist Jacques Forestier, who is originally from Edmonton but now studies at the Curtis Institute of Music and performs regularly around the globe, will be featured in the concert. First debuting with the ESO at the age of 11, he most recently won 1st Prize, Laureate Prize, and Audience Prize at the 2024 Joseph Joachim International Competition. Jean-Marie says, "it's a commitment to local artists and a commitment to youth at the same time."

The performance includes Prokofiev's Symphony No. 5, composed in the summer of 1944. "It's my opening gift to the orchestra, because it's a challenging and very rewarding piece for them," says Jean-Marie, adding about the whole program, "symbolically, it tells a lot about the spirit of collaboration and the values we share. I feel very excited for this opening concert."

Jean-Marie also shares some thoughts on the second Classics concert of the season – a special collaboration with Edmonton Opera titled Bravi! Opera's Greatest Hits on October 9 & 11. "This program has been crafted as a crowd-pleaser. Even if you don't know the whole opera, you'll recognize these gems. It will be hit after hit," he says. Featuring four superb Canadian soloists with Alberta connections, twenty choristers, and ESO concertmaster Robert Uchida as a soloist, this will be an evening of drama, comedy, passion, and above all, musical beauty.

After his debut as Music Director in September, catch Jean-Marie next at Paganini & Pinot on November 14 and Adventures in Italy on November 15 & 16, with music by Italian composers spanning multiple centuries, alongside Canadian superstar violinist Kerson Leong.