Conductor Eric Paetkau is known for his intense musicality, musical integrity, and vibrant performances.  As Music Director and founder of group of twenty-seven and Resident Conductor of the Quebec-based Les Violons du Roy, Mr. Paetkau has displayed his gift for connecting with audiences and bringing the music to life in an electrifying way.

Since begining his tenure with Les Violons du Roy, Mr. Paetkau has been programming and conducting the Romantic, 20th Century, and contemporary repertoire, as well as much Baroque and Classical music.  He has collobarated with soloists Catherine Perrin, Charlotte Corwin, Denis Plante, and Pacale Giguére, among others and has led the orchestra on tour a number of times, most recently to Ontario, New Brunswick, and all over the province of Quebec, in addition to concerts at their home hall, the Palais Montcalm, in Quebec City.  He has conducted at a number of festivals including the Elora Festival, the Ottawa Music and Beyond Festival, and the Grand River Baroque Festival with soloists Aislinn Nosky, Guy Few, and Nadina Mackie Jackson.

Other highlights include leading productions of Stravinsky's 'L'Histoire du Soldat' in Toronto, two years of orchestral and opera performances in Lexington, Kentucky, where he also founded the Lexington Chamber Orchestra, and a conducting residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts.

Upcoming concerts for next season include Mr. Paetkau's debut with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, a performance with the world-renown Canadian alto, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, and a series of concerts presenting Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico with Les Violons du Roy.

Formerly a violist, Mr. Paetkau was a member of the Nuremburg Symphony in Germany, and played regularly with such orchestras as the Toronto Symphony, Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet, Les Violons du Roy, and Tafelmusik.  He has performed around the world in such well-known venues as Carnegie Hall, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Los Angeles’ Disney Hall, among many others.  He has also made many recordings on such labels as Virgin Classics, Dorian, Naxos, CBC and ATMA.

Mr. Paetkau received his early musical training in Canada with Lorand Fenyves and later with Steven Dann.  He then continued his studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston and in Munich, Germany.  Mr. Paetkau also studied conducting under Jac van Steen in the Netherlands and Kenneth Kiesler in North America.