Victoria Symphony Music Director
The Victoria Symphony is calling for expressions of interest in becoming our next Music Director, a gifted and visionary leader to take us into a new era of artistic excellence and community engagement, beginning in the 2028/2029 Season.
We are looking for a Music Director who actively demonstrates musicianship, artistic leadership, and engagement in the community.
Our Music Director plays the key artistic role at the Victoria Symphony, personally conducting the orchestra’s rehearsals and concerts for a significant portion of each season and making the orchestra’s key artistic decisions, in consultation with the CEO and staff. This involves the development of imaginative and inspiring programming, based on a profound knowledge of diverse orchestral repertoire and the ability to communicate it, both on and off the podium, in ways that both motivate our musicians and captivate our audience.
Our Music Director will work effectively and collaboratively with the members of the orchestra to achieve key artistic goals and deliver transformational performances that build on and extend the orchestra’s strong foundation of artistic excellence.
Our Music Director is a programming partner with the CEO, delivering together on the key pillars of the Board’s Strategic Plan. They are able to set a clear artistic direction, to explore different types of innovative repertoire and programme formats, and to identify and exploit opportunities to enhance the orchestra’s quality and range of activities. This requires inspiring creativity, while taking into account fiscal responsibility and audience appeal.
Our Music Director is demonstrably and deeply invested in the local community, a visible ambassador for the Victoria Symphony, reaching out to our partners in the arts, education, and business communities. The successful candidate has an ability to communicate effectively with different stakeholders and will be actively present in Victoria for a minimum of several multi-week periods of time throughout the year. The Music Director is sensitive to issues of diversity, equity, inclusion and reconciliation, as reflected in the cultural richness of our community, and participates actively in community outreach and organisational reputation building.
The Victoria Symphony is one of British Columbia’s largest performing arts organizations and one of only two full-time professional orchestras in the province. With an annual budget of roughly $6.5 million, a modest operational surplus, a Foundation whose assets have grown to just under $20 million, and a full time administrative staff of 15, it is one of the most stable orchestras in the country. We provide 36 weeks of performance opportunities for 44 outstanding professional musicians who also share their expertise as teachers and mentors at the University of Victoria and the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
The orchestra has flourished under the baton of Maestro Christian Kluxen and is now considered one of the best orchestras in the country. We are fortunate to be able to work with some of the greatest international and Canadian guest artists. (See our most recent Season Brochures). Our main performance venues are the Royal Theatre in downtown Victoria (1,416 seats) and the Farquhar Auditorium at the University of Victoria (1,228 seats).
The 2024/25 Season is seeing the best attendance in the orchestra’s 85 year history, with frequently sold out performances, a growing subscriber base, and dramatically increased single ticket sales. More than 200,000 people now hear the orchestra live annually at over 70 main season concerts, TV broadcasts, education concerts, and summer festival performances. Our iconic Symphony Splash! event, which is returning in 2025, is one of the largest outdoor classical music events in the country and is attended by tens of thousands of people annually. VS is also the contracted orchestra for Pacific Opera Victoria which produces three fully staged operas per year, as well for both Dance Victoria and Ballet Victoria’s annual productions of The Nutcracker.
We are proud to offer a diverse range of programming streams that appeal to all ages and demographics. The success of our Pops Series led by our Principal Pops Conductor, Sean O’Loughlin, has grown substantially in recent years, attracting a new generation of music lovers.
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, located at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən People, known today as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is a high priority with the community and the Symphony. It boasts numerous artistic and cultural venues, such as the Royal BC Museum, the Royal Theatre, the McPherson Playhouse, the Belfry Theatre, and the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, and is home to the University of Victoria, with its Department of Music in the Faculty of Fine Arts as well as a second university (Royal Roads) and an active Conservatory of Music. The population in the Capital Regional District is growing steadily, reaching more than 400,000 in 2023.
Victoria’s rich cultural and intellectual environment along with its physical beauty and mild climate have attracted a vibrant tech sector, and for the last two years have put it at the very top of Condé Nast’s Readers’ Choice List of the best small cities in the world. National Geographic singles out its excellent neighbourhood restaurants, breweries and coffee shops, and the museums and galleries that showcase the region’s Indigenous heritage and the stunning landscape.
Those wishing to express interest in this position are asked to email HR@victoriasymphony.ca. In response, we will provide a link to the Application Form, in which potential candidates are asked to outline their experience and qualifications, as well as their alignment with the goals of our Strategic Plan and the needs of our community. We will also be providing a copy of a basic job description along with further details on our community, the orchestra, and the administration of the Victoria Symphony.
