CSO's Jean-Marie Zeitouni to Take on Leadership of I Musici de Montreal

Columbus Symphony Music Director Jean-Marie Zeitouni has accepted the appointment of Principal Conductor and Artistic Director Designate of the prestigious Canadian chamber orchestra I Musici de Montreal. His three-year contract begins June 1, 2011. Jean-Marie will succeed founder Yuli Turovsky who has served as artistic director for 27 years and is retiring due to poor health. Jean-Marie will conduct three I Musici programs in the 2011-12 season, and will assume full duties in 2012-13 as Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.

Jean-Marie is currently engaged in a four-year contract to lead the Columbus Symphony as Music Director. He still plans to reside in Columbus, and will retain his current Montreal residence as well.

"It is a great honor to have been selected to carry on the remarkable legacy of Yuli Turovsky in my own hometown," stated Jean-Marie Zeitouni, Columbus Symphony Music Director. "I look forward to expanding my experience to benefit both organizations."

"That Jean-Marie was chosen to lead such a renowned chamber orchestra is international recognition of his exceptional talent and further proof that Columbus is fortunate to have his leadership and vision," said Martin Inglis, CSO Board Chair.

About I Musici de Montreal
Founded by cellist and conductor Yuli Turovsky, I Musici de Montreal is a chamber orchestra of 15 musicians that presents a vast repertoire extending from the baroque to the contemporary. The orchestra performs more than 100 concerts each season throughout the world including three prestigious series in Montreal. This extraordinary amount of activity places I Musici amongst the most important touring orchestras in Canada.

Since its beginnings, I Musici has maintained an exclusive recording contract with Chandos Records of England and has to date released 43 CDs that are distributed in more than 50 countries around the world. These recordings have won the orchestra and Maestro Turovsky many awards including a 1988 Diapason d'Or for their recording of Shostakovich's 14th Symphony and a 1992 Penguin Guide Rosette for their Concerti grossi, Op. 6 by Handel.

In 1998, I Musici earned two Opus Awards for Recording Event of the Year and Best Recording - Contemporary Music for a CD that grouped works by Gorecki, Pärt, and Schnittke. In 1999, I Musici was awarded the Grand Prix des Arts by the Montreal Urban Community for their exceptional contribution to music presentation in and around Montreal.

In August 2001, BBC Music Magazine named I Musici's 40th recording their "CD of the Month," referring to it as a Russian tour de force. In 2002, I Musici was nominated for another Canadian Juno Award as Best Classical Album of the Year, this after having won a Juno for their recording of Ginestera, Villa-Lobos, and Evangelista. Furthermore, the orchestra's The Modern Cello recording has received rave reviews from the prestigious French classical music magazine Diapason, qualifying the Orchestra's interpretation as "virtuosité étincelante."

Under the dynamic and visionary direction of Maestro Turovsky, who also performs as cello soloist with the orchestra, I Musici has performed in some of the greatest halls in the world-New York's Lincoln Center; the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, Germany; the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Belgium; Kioi Hall in Tokyo, Japan; the Conservatoire de Musique in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; and many others. The public enthusiasm and critical acclaim surrounding the precision, cohesion, and virtuosity of I Musici performances, as well as their vigor and distinctive sound, cement them firmly as one of the most prominent chamber orchestras on the world music stage.

About the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Founded in 1951, the Columbus Symphony is the only full-time, professional symphony in central Ohio. Through an array of innovative artistic, educational, and community outreach programming, the Columbus Symphony is reaching an expanding, more diverse audience each year. This season, the Columbus Symphony will share classical music with more than a quarter million people in central Ohio through concerts, radio broadcasts, and special programming. For more information, visit www.columbussymphony.com.

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