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Word from the Artistic Director

Dear subscribers and friends,

In December 1968, I conducted my very first concert with a professional orchestra. The soloist was another young Israeli, an unknown violinist by the name of Pinchas Zukerman and the orchestra was the Louisville Orchestra in Kentucky - where I just started to serve as Assistant Conductor. Forty years have gone by and I still remember the wonderful exhilaration - the excitement of a 25 year old musician conducting Brahms 4 th Symphony for the first time.

Trying to summarize 40 years of conducting is a most rewarding experience, but also a rather complicated task. I remember well the anxious early years when I chased after managers who would be willing to take me on for a concert, and the conducting competitions that I entered, trying to achieve some shortcuts in my career.

At age 31, I was appointed Music Director of my first fully professional orchestra, in Holland. This was my first opportunity to conduct all the scores I had been studying since age 15, and to learn how to coax from the orchestra the sounds I was hearing in my head. Since then, I have held nine positions as Music Director and conducted as a guest-conductor some 130 orchestras in 30 different countries.

One always remembers the terrifying experience of jumping in to replace an ill conductor with just a few hours' notice. Two of my permanent positions came about as a result of such fortunate circumstances: my first position with the Arnhem Philharmonic in Holland, and the second, more recently with the Hamburg Symphony. One particularly memorable experience of 'jumping-in' happened when I was called for the first time to replace Carlos Kleiber with the Berlin Philharmonic - with 20 hours' notice!

In addition to celebrating forty years of conducting during the 2008-2009 season, I am especially proud to be celebrating 10 years as Artistic Director of the OSQ. This is the longest position I have held with any orchestra and for a good reason: the chemistry between the OSQ musicians and myself is indeed very special. Sometimes I feel that the 'honeymoon' between us, which existed upon my arrival in Québec - has never ended. My relationship with the musicians has grown stronger and more profound over the years.

During these 10 years, the OSQ has grown quite substantially and impressively from an artistic standpoint. All sections of the orchestra now share the same high level of quality, starting from the wonderful warm sound of the violins (headed by our great concertmasters Darren Lowe and Catherine Dallaire) through our superb woodwinds section and the excellent brass and percussion. The orchestra has developed great sensitivity in reacting to all the nuances and different styles, and its sound is beautifully polished and refined.

I also cherish also the very warm rapport I have with the OSQ's public. This is indeed a very special relationship that I feel very strongly as soon as I step on stage to begin my concerts.

I am really looking forward to sharing with you, dear concertgoers, my special anniversary season.

YOAV TALMI

Yoav Talmi,
artistic director