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French conductor Victor Jacob brings together a natural affinity for the voice, an increasingly international symphonic career and a musical curiosity that takes him across repertoire and genres. A former singer with the Maîtrise de Radio France, he began conducting through choral music before turning to the orchestra, an early experience that continues to shape his instinctive relationship with singers, text and the stage.
Named “Révélation chef d’orchestre” at the 2023 Victoires de la Musique Classique and a finalist and Special Mention recipient at the 2019 Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors, Jacob is increasingly invited by orchestras and opera houses in France and internationally.
The 2026/27 season reflects this development across Europe, Asia and the United States. Jacob makes his Atlanta Symphony Orchestra debut in a programme devoted to French opera, conducts the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra in China and returns to the Tonkünstler-Orchester. Further engagements include the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est, Orchestre national de Montpellier, Orchestre national Avignon-Provence and Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto.
Opera and vocal repertoire occupy a central place in Jacob’s work. His ongoing relationship with the Opéra Royal de Versailles includes Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with Florian Sempey, Catherine Trottmann and Patrick Kabongo, an extensive tour of France and Spain with soprano Nadine Sierra, Fauré’s Requiem, and a forthcoming production of Bizet’s Carmen. He also returns to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées for the Paris Opera Competition.
From 2023 to 2026, Jacob has led the two orchestras of ADO, the new youth-orchestra programme of the Académie de l’Opéra national de Paris, introducing young musicians to the particular demands of operatic repertoire. Earlier in his career, he developed his experience of opera working alongside conductors including Nathalie Stutzmann, Antonio Pappano and Paolo Arrivabeni. His operatic work has also taken him to the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hanoi Opera and Opéra de Montpellier, with repertoire including Carmen, Offenbach’s La Vie Parisienne and Le Voyage dans la Lune..
Recent seasons have brought appearances with the Belgian National Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre national de Lyon, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse and Orchestre national de Lille, among others. Alongside these engagements, Jacob has developed recurring relationships with orchestras including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine, Tonkünstler-Orchester, Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles, Orchestre national Avignon-Provence and Orchestre national de Montpellier. His most recent return to Hong Kong included a recital with tenor Benjamin Bernheim.
Jacob’s discography reflects both his symphonic and vocal interests. Recent recordings include Florian Sempey’s Ferrum Splendidum with the Orchestre national Bordeaux Aquitaine for Alpha Classics, while a forthcoming release for Fuga Libera with violinist Dmitry Smirnov and the Basel Kammerorchester further expands his recorded work. Previous recordings include releases with the Orchestre de Picardie and Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse.
Alongside opera and the core symphonic repertoire, Jacob embraces projects that bring orchestral music into dialogue with other musical worlds. His versatility has led him from film and video-game repertoire to collaborations with leading artists outside the classical field. In 2025, he conducted the orchestra for AIR’s end-of-tour concert at the Grand Palais in Paris, and has recorded with French rock band Last Train and the Orchestre symphonique de Mulhouse. In 2027, he conducts a series of symphonic projects with Étienne Daho, including performances at the Grand Palais and Arènes de Nîmes, and with the Orchestre national de Lyon and Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse.
From 2019 to 2022, Jacob held assistant conductor positions with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Orchestre national de Lille and Orchestre de Picardie. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with Distinction, and at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, where he received his Master’s degree Très bien à l’unanimité. His teachers included Sian Edwards and Alain Altinoglu, and he has worked with and received guidance from conductors including Bernard Haitink, Paavo Järvi, Marin Alsop, David Zinman and Lawrence Foster.
PRICES & AWARDS
2023 - Victoires de la Musique
"Révélation chef d'orchestre"
2021 - Semi-finalist
Donatella Flick Conducting Competition
2019 - Finalist & "Mention Spéciale"
Besançon Conducting Competition
2018 - Semi-finalist
1st Hong-Kong International Conducting Competition
2015 - Ernest Conducting Prize
Royal Academy of Music - London
2013 - Arts & Humanities Research Councils Prize
Royal Academy of Music - London
2013 - Fondation Safran laureate
