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New Music Director for New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Jacques Lacombe is the new leader of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra announced today. Lacombe conducts two weeks of concerts this season as music-director-designate. Starting in Sept. 2010, he takes the full title, conducting the orchestra nine or ten weeks a year. He has a three-year contract.

Lacombe, 46, has only led the New Jersey orchestra once before - a Carmina Burana in November. Born in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, he was principal guest conductor of the Montreal Symphony, and has led opera performances at the Bavarian State Opera, Covent Garden and Deutsche Oper Berlin.

More locally, we know his work from Opera Company of Philadelphia productions of Carmen, Faust, Macbeth, The Pearl Fishers and Werther.

Lacombe - artistic director and principal conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Trois-Rivières in Quebec - follows Neeme Järvi, who led the New Jersey orchestra from 2004-09.

The Star-Ledger has more.