Mina Zikri

With a commanding presence on the podium and a reputation for electrifying performances, Mina Zikrihas become one of Chicago’s most distinctive musical voices. He is Music Director of the Northbrook Symphony and Founder & Music Director of the Oistrakh Symphony of Chicago, ensembles that have flourished through bold programming, deep artistic relationships, and a powerful connection with audiences. He is also Resident Conductor of the Lira Ensemble and directs three orchestras at DePaul University’s Community Music Division, where he is widely admired for mentorship and artistic leadership.

Zikri’s artistic formation includes profound influence and direct experience with three of the most significant podium figures of our time — Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, and Pierre Boulez. His work with Barenboim, including assistant conducting and performances with the West–Eastern Divan Orchestra, instilled an artistic philosophy rooted in dialogue, humanity, and structural precision. Exposure to Mehta’s expansive symphonic voice and Boulez’s intellectual intensity further shaped Zikri’s conviction that orchestral culture is built through trust, rigor, and time. Rather than pursuing constant guest appearances, he cultivates long-term artistic partnerships — ensembles that grow together season after season. His rehearsals are known for clarity and intensity; his performances for high-voltage energy, emotional architecture, and elegance of expression.

A passionate mentor of young musicians, Zikri leads the DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers, an annual event that has introduced numerous rising stars to the concert stage. His rehearsal rooms are renowned for transformation: demanding, generous, inspiring. Colleagues and students describe him as “an artistic force who makes you play better than you believed you could.”

Internationally, Zikri appears every season with the Egypt National Symphony, the country’s leading orchestral institution, where he is celebrated for emotional depth and cultural connection. He has led performances across Europe, South America, Asia, and the United States. He collaborates closely with the North Shore Chamber Music Festival, under the Artistic Direction of Vadim Gluzman, bringing world-class chamber musicians into orchestral dialogue.

Zikri’s newest initiative, the Avant Symphony Orchestra, expands his vision with innovative concerts, touring projects, and chamber music collaborations — including cultural partnerships in Egypt. Whether on a grand stage or in an intimate hall, Mina Zikri conducts with purpose, poetry, and unmistakable passion: Music as energy, elegance, and life.