In addition to his thirteen-year tenure as Artistic Director of the Quebec Symphony Orchestra (1988 – 2011), Maestro Talmi has held positions as Chief Conductor of the Hamburg Symphony (2000 – 2004), Music Director of the San Diego Symphony (1989 – 1996), Principal Guest Conductor of the Munich Philharmonic (1979 – 1980), Music Director of the Arnhem Philharmonic (1974 – 1980) and Music Director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra (1984 – 1988 and 2013 – 2014). Talmi also was among the founders of the New Israeli Opera in Tel Aviv and served as its first Music Director (1985 – 1989). Currently, he is Head of the Orchestral Conducting Department at the Tel Aviv University.

Maestro Talmi's extensive guest conducting career spans several continents. His European engagements alone include all the major London orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestras of Vienna and Prague, the Philharmonic Orchestras of Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Rotterdam and Warsaw, the Orchestre National de France, Zurich’s Tonhalle and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He also has made several appearances with the NHK Symphony and the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Tokyo. In North America, Talmi has appeared with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Detroit, St. Louis, Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis, Montreal, Vancouver, Rochester and Seattle, as well as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the New York Chamber Symphony, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York.

As a seasoned recording artist, Yoav Talmi has collaborated with Chandos, Decca, EMI, Naxos, Teldec, CBC Records, Atma and Analekta labels. His recording of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 with the Oslo Philharmonic won France’s prestigious Grand Prix du disque, while his recording of Schoenberg and Tchaikovsky with the Israel Chamber Orchestra for Teldec was chosen as Record of the Month by Fono-Forum magazine. His recording with violinist James Ehnes and the Quebec Symphony, French Showpieces, was chosen as Record of the Month by Repertoire.

Born in Israel, Yoav Talmi is a graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music (now the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music at Tel Aviv University) and Juilliard, where he earned degrees in both composition and conducting. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Laval University.

Maestro Talmi is widely awarded for his work. He is a recipient of the Koussevitzky Memorial Conducting Prize (1969) and the Rupert Conductor’s Competition (1973). Other prizes have come from the Prime Minister of Israel (the 2013 Prime Minister’s Prize for composition), Israel’s ACUM (the 2018 Avidom Prize for Composer's Achievement of the Year), the Israeli Ministry of Culture (the 2009 Frank Pelleg Prize for extended high artistic achievement) and the City of Quebec (the Quebec City Medal for contributions to the City’s 400^th anniversary in 2008).

In June 2009, Yoav Talmi was named an Officer of the L’Ordre national de Quebec. He is represented by Schmidt Artists International Inc.