Jean-Michaël Lavoie

Since the age of 28, Jean-Michaël Lavoie enjoys an international career as a conductor. After his studies at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University, he is appointed assistant conductor to the Ensemble intercontemporain in Paris (2008–2010) and one of the resident conductors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2010). He deepens his musical training in Europe and United States with Pierre Boulez (Lucerne Festival Academy), Susanna Mälkki (Ensemble intercontemporain, LA PHIL) and Esa-Pekka Salonen (Orchestre de Paris).
For more than ten years, Jean-Michaël Lavoie guest conducts the important orchestras in Europe, among them the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre national de Bordeaux Aquitaine, Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música, NFM Filharmonia Wrocławska.
He made his opera debuts at Teatro alla Scala, Milan (2011), co-conducting the world premiere of Luca Francesconi’s Quartett, at Opéra de Lyon (2013) and Opéra national de Bordeaux (2014). Dance productions have taken him as a guest conductor to John Neumeier’s Bundesjugendballett Hamburg, the Ballett am Rhein Düsseldorf Duisburg and the Vienna State Ballet, with which he made his debut at the Volksoper Wien in 2023. He is a regular guest to the specialized ensembles in contemporary music : Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, Musikfabrik, Ensemble Resonanz et l’Ensemble de la Société de musique contemporaine du Québec.
Winner of the Prix Opus 2010 New Artist of the Year, he recorded two piano recitals for La chaîne culturelle de Radio-Canada’s program Les Jeunes Artistes.
Jean-Michaël Lavoie is Associate Professor at the Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal, where he supervises and teaches the professional cursus in contemporary music in the performance programs.
Jean-Michaël Lavoie will succeed Lorraine Vaillancourt as Artistic and Music Director of the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne in Montréal starting in 2024/25.