"...every player was not only alert but brilliantly assured. It is hard to do justice to the effect of such playing, vividly committed from top to bottom..." Financial Times, London

"...winning, persuasive artists of the highest caliber..."
Washington Times

"This ensemble had real force, real impact...This cocktail gave us an extremely successful evening thanks to, and principally because of, the musicians who worked as a unit and who were visibly happy to be there."
Le Devoir

"A highlight was the delicate phrasing of the Serenade. Turovsky poured passion into the interpretation, but kept it from an over-romantized reading."
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"But among the chamber orchestras of international calibre that have played at Leipzig's Gewandhaus, I Musici de Montréal stands out with a unique character, no doubt instilled by its founder and artistic director, Yuli Turovsky."
Leipiziger Volkszeitung

"...playing of great technical precision, warmth and fine rhythmic elan." Sunday Times, London

"The ensemble was very tight, even without a conductor.[Turovsky was the cello soloist] Entrances were secure, dynamics were observed, and rhythmic flexibility was achieved. Turovsky is a cellist of great virtuosity and expressiveness."
Palm Beach Daily News

"A spellbindingly unified ensemble."
The Toronto Star

"Whiplash precision and tension"
Stereo Review, New York

"Most touring orchestras play it safe, but not I Musici de Montréal, the Canadian chamber orchestra that performed Monday evening at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Under the direction of its energetic founding conductor Yuli Turovsky, the ensemble presented an interestingly crafted program of both old and new music that elicited from the audience applause as thunderous as the rain that beat down on Palm Beach County during the afternoon." Palm Beach Post

"I Musici proved a phenomenon...The 14 strings played with the perfection of 14 virtuoso soloists."
South China Morning Post, Hong Kong

"The Incredible String Band"
The Independent, London

"A trio of works with string orchestra reveals a wealth of invention and virtuosity." BBC Music Magazine

"From this orchestra, I Musici de Montréal, comes a rich and warm sound. Yuli Turovsky draws out of them a superb performance."
Yedioth Ahronoth, Tel Aviv

"...the performances were outstanding." Fanfare Magazine

"...a light, highly strung group, with superb sonority, superior organization, under the conducting of Yuli Turovsky."
Le Méridional, Marseille, France


"A contemporary French-Canadian composer, [Denis] Gougeon's semi-theatrical work stole the show. Beginning with Turovsky alone on stage playing the cello, orchestra members entered playing an arpeggio of harmonics. They play the undulating piece with its many solos until undergoing a choreographed shift for the last chord. I thought it a marvelous and becoming mix of music and theatrics."
Piitsburgh Post-Gazette  

I Musici de Montréal has developed a well-deserved reputation as one of the world's finest chamber orchestras. Known for its gutsy, passionate music-making, I Musici de Montréal presents imaginative programs that draw on repertoire spanning the centuries.

Among many fascinating tour programs is the orchestra's new production of Mussorgsky's famed Pictures at an Exhibition performed with animated projections of new paintings by Natasha Turovsky. The acclaimed new interpretations are accompanied by breathtaking imagery projected on a large screen on-stage. For more information and a videoclip click here.


Under the direction of cellist Yuli Turovsky, the orchestra performs over 100 concerts annually. Varying in size to meet the demands of such a wide repertoire, the group tours and records with 14-33 members. Everywhere it appears, the orchestra's precision, cohesion, brio, and distinctive sound charm audiences and critics. Fanfare magazine recently added its voice to the chorus of praise when it named I Musici de Montréal "one of the best chamber orchestras in North America."

Their recent European tour included the closing performance at the prestigious Les Soirées de Luxembourg Festival, on the heels of tours in Israel and South America.

In addition to the orchestra's active home season and recording schedule, they've been heard recently in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Lincoln, Atlanta, New York, a return to Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood and dozens of other communities from coast to coast. The orchestra recently completed a tour of seven concerts in the Peoples Republic of China and Japan. A wide variety of youth programs, workshops, concerts in which young performers join them on stage, and other educational activities are available on tour.

Conductor and cellist Yuli Turovsky has created innovative programs of works from the Baroque to the 21st century for this exciting orchestra. Since it was founded in 1983, the orchestra's more than forty recordings have been distributed in 48 countries around the world (on the British label Chandos Records). They have been awarded many honors, including "Best Chamber Ensemble of the Year" from Canadian Council of Music in 1987, and a "Diapason d'or" for a recording of the Symphony No. 14 by Shostakovich in 1988. "The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and Cassettes, 1992," singled out I Musici de Montréal's CD of Handel's Concerti Grossi, Op. 6/1-12 for the coveted award of a "Rosette", denoting a recording of "special illumination, magic ... that places it in a very special class." In 1996, I Musici was awarded a "Félix" and a "Juno" for the Best Classical Album of 1996 in the Large Ensemble category for its recording of Ginastera - Villa Lobos - Evangelista. In 2002, the Quebec Music Council awarded their coveted CD of the Year Award to I Musici de Montréal and ‘cellist Yuli Turovsky for their latest release titled The Modern ‘Cello, which won in the category of Best recording of the year - classical, modern and romantic music.

Special Program on tour: For more information and audio samples of the season tours of the new Classic Klezmer program collaboration with Kleztory click here.

Anniversary Season News:

During the 2004/5 season, the orchestra performed special programs featuring cello concerto performances by music director Turovsky, as part of the anniversary celebration of his 25 years of music-making in Canada. The culminating anniversary concert, at McGill University's Pollack Hall was recorded for television and was broadcast internationally, including across the Bravo Cable Network and on TV5 in France.

The concert and broadcast coincided with the release of the orchestra's 41st CD for the Chandos label, titled The Modern ‘Cello and featuring Turovsky as soloist. The repertoire is of music composed in the 20th century that was either written or arranged for the cello. Exploring different aspects of the character and technical diversity of the cello, the recording includes Three Meditations for Cello and orchestra, from Leonard Bernstein’s Mass; The Nocturnal Dances of Don Juan Quixote by the Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen; Trauermusik for alto (‘cello or violin) and Orchestra by Paul Hindemith; Rhapsody No 1, Op. 87 by Béla Bartok and, Figaro, a concert transcription for ‘Cello and chamber orchestra by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (arr. Darren Fung).

"The concert concluded with Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550. Turovsky’s tempos were just right -- the scherzo was not too fast and the andante was not too slow."
Palm Beach Daily News