Walla Walla Symphony Music Director Search
As we embark on the search process for the next Music Director of the Walla Walla Symphony (WWS), periodic updates will be posted here. If you have any questions about the search process, please contact Symphony CEO, Leah Wilson-Velasco.
Committee Members
Margarita Banderas, search advocate, ex-officio
Mark Brucks, committee secretary, ex-officio
Leonard Garrison, musician rep
Jack Iverson, community rep
Jamey Lamar, community rep
Pedrito Maynard-Reid, board rep
Richard Middleton-Kaplan, Chair, board rep
Vanessa Moss, musician rep
Chris Otis, community rep
Lucia Ramirez, community rep
Tricia Rice, board rep
Josh Skinner, musician rep
Maya Takemoto, musician rep
Leah Wilson-Velasco, CEO
Jackie Wood, board rep
Updates
6.29.23 - Finalists announced to the general public.
5.19.23 - A small number of candidates have been advanced to the next stage and the Search Committee is checking references. Finalists will be selected after reference checks are completed.
4.28.23 - The Committee has completed all interviews of a diverse pool of candidates. The Committee began deliberations today.
4.7.23 - The Committee has completed review of all applications and has selected a pool of candidates who will be invited to interview. Notification to all candidates was sent out today.
3.24.23 - We have received and are reviewing an incredibly robust, deep and diverse applicant pool consisting of well over 100 candidates from all over the world.
2.27.23 - The priority deadline for application submission has closed. All applications that have been received were sent to committee members to begin review. Applications received after the priority deadline will still receive consideration.
2.3.23 - Applications for the opening have begun to come in. The Search Committee is working to refine the ways in which applications and candidates will be evaluted. Priority deadline for submission is February 26, 2023.
1.27.23 - The job posting is live and has been posted on the Symphony website and several other job boards (including League of American Orchestras, Musical Chairs, International Conductor’s Guild, Taki Alsop Fellowship). The Committee continues to meet weekly and is working on the evaluation tool that will be used to assess applicants with a goal of fair and open consideration.
1.20.23 - The Committee met to make final adjustments to the position announcement and invitation to apply.
1.17.23 - The Music Director & Conductor Job Description was approved by the Board.
1.6.23 - The Committee continued editing and adjusting the job description and posting and intends to present the final description to the Symphony Board on January 17, 2023.
12.16.22 - The Committee began crafting and editing the job description and posting.
12.13.22 - The Search Committee participated in anti-bias training with Jessica Schmidt of Orchestrate Inclusion.
12.06.22 - Community Representatives have been selected from a robust pool of candidates. The committee is working to identify a 2-hour time period before the winter holidays to hold their anti-bias training before finalizing the MD job description.
11.14.22 - The Search Committee welcomed Search Advocate Margarita Banderas to the group and began reviewing the community member nomination submissions. The Committee will continue reviewing and evaluating submissions at the next meeting.