Jean-Michaël Lavoie is an outstanding young French-Canadian conductor who in recent seasons established an international reputation both in Europe and in North America.  A rigorous musician, he quickly gains the confidence of other musicians with his clear ideas and communicative direction.   Co-Artistic Director of renowned contemporary group Ensemble Multilatérale (Paris), he also enjoys an ongoing relationship with vocal ensemble Accentus.

Recent and future highlights include debuts with Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Resonanz,   Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, Orchestre National de Lille,  Orchestre d'Auvergne , Israel Contemporary Players, Orchestre Métropolitain, Montréal and National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa. In the 13/14 season Jean-Michael will make his debut with the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrucken-Kaiserslautern and Orchestre Philharmonique de Luxembourg.

Jean-Michaël enjoyed return engagements with Orchestre de Bretagne and Ensemble Orchestral de Paris. In the contemporary field appearances included a return to Ensemble intercontemporain (conducting the French premiere of Matalon’s reworked score to accompany the Fritz Lang movie Metropolis), as well as concerts with the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble and his debut with the Israel Contemporary Players.  Assistant Conductor of Ensemble Intercontemporian from 2008-2010 he worked in association with Pierre Boulez with whom he continues to enjoy a regular association – and who also appointed him First Assistant Conductor at the 2010 Lucerne Festival Academy. Further return invitations include Edmonton Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Ensemble Resonanz.

In 2011 Jean-Michaël Lavoie made his debut with Opéra de Rennes and at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, in a collaboration on the world première of an opera by Luca Francesconi – Quartett, and he also collaborated on a revival of this same work at the Wiener Festwochen in 2011/12. 

This season he made his debut with L’Opéra de Lyon, conducting Der Kaiser von Atlantis in Valence and in Lyon.  Further operatic plans include the world première of a new work by Christian Lauba La Lettre des Sables with Opéra National de Bordeaux.

www.jean-michaellavoie.com

May 2013