Mr. Tremblay will be in residence with the orchestra for two to three years, conducting performances and rehearsals and working closely in a Mentor-Apprentice relationship with Maestro Zukerman. Maestro Zukerman and Mr. Tremblay became acquainted this past summer in Ottawa, where Mr. Tremblay was in residence as Music Director of l'Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne, as well as participating in the National Arts Centre 's Conductors Programme with master conductor Jorma Panula and Maestro Zukerman.

During that summer, Mr. Tremblay had the opportunity to conduct the NAC Orchestra in performances of Mahler's Adagietto from Symphony No.5, and Kaleidoscope by Canadian composer Pierre Mercure. Critics called his performances "assured" and "deeply felt, the highlight of the evening."

"It's a dream to be associated with Pinchas Zukerman, who is one of the greatest musicians in the world," said Mr. Tremblay to the Ottawa Citizen.

Jean-Philippe Tremblay's position as Apprentice Conductor is funded in part by the Canada Council for the Arts' Conductor-in-Residence Program and through the generosity of two Toronto-based philanthropists.