Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra searching for a new conductor

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - After 30 years the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra is searching for a new conductor.

The search began in January of 2018 and is now down to five conductors vying for the position. That pool of talent sparked the design for this season of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra. Each of the five competitors is given a performance that serves as an open audition in front of a live audience.

“We went through over 200 resumes that were submitted for the position," said Thomas Josenhans, the chairman for the search committee. "We viewed over 70 videos that our second round candidates submitted so we’ve done a lot of groundwork leading up to selecting these five who are conducting the philharmonic this year.”

Josenhans said the musical ability of each conductor is not in question. What he and the committee want to see is how each conductor can be the face for the orchestra in Evansville.

“Someone who’s going to be a skilled musician and a qualified conductor, of course, I mean those are the main skills that they really need to have but they also need to be able to be a representative of the orchestra," Josenhans said. "They need to be someone who can embrace the mission of the orchestra and have a vision for what the orchestra’s place is in the community.”

Josenhans said that all the conductors are asked the same question.

“'What does it mean to be the face of the orchestra?’ I think it’s the person who’s most relatable,” said Josenhans.

Josenhans said that the new conductor needs to be relatable to everyone in the city, not just the musicians.

“I always kind of liken it to a blind date," said one conductor when asked about performing with a new ensemble. "You know you’re going to see if you have that spark, that connection, with each other. You know it’s kind of a two-way street in that sense because you’re going to see if you have that connection with the musicians, they’re going to see if they have that connection with you.”

All to promote the continued growth of the orchestra and ignite a love for music in Evansville.

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