Praised as “a conductor of great talent” (La Presse, Claude Gingras) and praised for possessing “the genius to tell music like a captivating story” (L’Actualité, Gilles Nicholson), Jean-Pascal Hamelin has distinguished himself throughout Quebec by conducting major ensembles including the Orchestre Métropolitain, I Musici de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières.
In April 2026, conducted the orchestra of the Festival de Claix in France. Invited by Kent Nagano, Mr. Hamelin conducted one of the choirs in Verdi’s Requiem with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (OSM) in August 2019, presented on the Esplanade of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. In July 2023, he was invited to conduct the Berlin Sibelius Orchester in Berlin, an ensemble he reunited with during the OSM Virée Classique in August 2025.
Internationally, he has appeared with the National Orchestra of Colombia in Medellín (broadcast on national television), the Dohnányi Budafok Orchestra at the Palace of Arts in Budapest, and the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, with whom he recorded the album From the New World. Released under the Fidelio Musique label, this live recording received an ADISQ nomination for “Classical Album of the Year – Orchestra.” Jean-Pascal Hamelin has collaborated with renowned soloists including pianists Gabriela Montero and Louis Lortie.
Jean-Pascal Hamelin is also Music Director and Artistic Director of the Orchestre Philharmonia Mundi de Montréal (2008–2026) and the Chœur Classique Vaudreuil-Soulanges. He previously held similar positions with the West-Island Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Symphonique des Jeunes de Sherbrooke, and the Chœur du Musée d’Art de Joliette.
Between September 2010 and April 2017, he conducted a 25-member orchestra for 83 performances of the stage production Edgar et ses fantômes in several cities across Quebec. His recording of the production’s music, released on CD and LP under the Octave Classique label, was also nominated for an ADISQ Award in the category “Classical Album of the Year – Orchestra.” He later conducted the same production at the Casino de Paris in April and May 2018 under the title Patrick et ses fantômes. A second production, Edgar 2 et ses fantômes, was presented in Montreal and Quebec City for 29 performances between October and December 2017.
Jean-Pascal Hamelin studied orchestral conducting with Raffi Armenian at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal. He also pursued advanced studies in the United States and Europe, notably with Harold Farberman at Bard College in New York and Gianluigi Gelmetti at the Chigiana Academy in Sienna, Italy.
Trained as a pianist, Jean-Pascal Hamelin continues to perform the solo repertoire as well as concertos and chamber music. He studied piano at McGill University with Charles Reiner, where he earned a Bachelor of Music degree, and continued in New York with Edna Golandsky and Dorothy Taubman. He recorded an album of Chopin’s piano pieces entitled “Tableaux intimes” . He was an assistant producer and music commentator at Radio-Canada and a regular guest on Ici Musique’s Soirées Classiques.