He succeeds Andrea Quinn, who returned to her native England at the end of the spring season. NYCB has conducted an extensive search over the past year, trying out several conductors; Karoui was rumored to be a strong contender.

Peter Martins, NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief, said, "I am thrilled to welcome Fay‹al to the New York City Ballet family. In the past few months we have all been won over by his enthusiasm, youthful energy, and, above all, incredible talent. I know that he will be a wonderful leader for our orchestra, and a terrific custodian of the company's extraordinary musical heritage."

"This is a big honor for me, and I am very excited to be joining the New York City Ballet," said Karoui. "I will do my best to keep the performances on the same high level as they have been and to continue the great work of the orchestra.

Born in 1971 in Paris, Karoui studied conducting at the Conservatoire de Paris and was awarded the school's First Prize in Conducting in 1997. He has guest conducted numerous French orchestras, including the Orchestre de Paris, the orchestra of the Op_ra National de Paris, the Orchestre National de Lille and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, among others.

Since 2002 he has been the music director of Orchestre de Pau Pays de B_arn in southwest France, where his repertory has ranged from repertory standards to new works by living composers.

He is currently conducting the NYCB's summer season at Saratoga Springs, New York.