Concours Musical International De Montréal 2024 Names Guest Conductor

Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang will assume the role for the 2024 piano edition of the competition

Founded in 2001, Canada's Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is a yearly competition that rotates between editions for violin, piano, and voice.

Joining the 2024 piano edition as guest conductor, Xian Zhang will lead the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) in CMIM’s grand final on May 15 and 16, 2024, at the Maison symphonique de Montréal. Zhang has previously worked with the OSM in 2020 and 2022.

Her past roles have included principal guest conductor of the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, where she was the first female conductor to hold a titled role with a BBC orchestra. 

In 2002, she won first-prize in the Maazel-Vilar Conductor's Competition, and was appointed assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, where she later became associate conductor and the first holder of the Arturo Toscanini Chair.

She is currently principal guest conductor of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, conductor emeritus of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano (where she served as music director between 2009 and 2016), and is beginning her eighth year as music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

Alongside making her Metropolitan Opera debut with Puccini’s Madama Butterfly in the 2023/24 season, her upcoming concert engagements include the Philadelphia Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Houston Symphony, Orchestra of St Luke’s, and the National Symphony Orchestra D.C.

Additionally, Zhang’s 2022 “Letters for The Future” recording on Deutsche Grammophon with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Time for Three, won multiple 2023 GRAMMY awards.

“I am hugely looking forward to conducting performances as part of the forthcoming Concours musical international de Montréal in 2024,” Zhang said. “The players of Orchestre symphonique de Montréal are always an utter joy to make music with, and the competition itself has a huge legacy both within the cultural landscape of Canada and beyond. It will be an honor to be a part of the 2024 edition, and I cannot wait to meet and hear the young pianists in action!”

Since its inception, CMIM has received applications from 5,000 young musicians across 90 countries, who have trained at renowned music schools and are looking to further their music careers. Through its live performances and live streaming platforms, CMIM editions have reached over 1 million views globally.

As of September 1 to October 31, 2023, pianists worldwide, born between 1994 and 2007 inclusive, can apply for CMIM 2024. For more information, click here.