Skip to main content

assistant conductor

In 2022, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande created the position of assistant conductor to give young talent the opportunity to work in close proximity with the musical and artistic director and the orchestra to prepare the programme of concerts, recordings, operas as well as tours, and to acquire a precious experience in the management of an orchestra. Since 2024, the OSR has decided to reserve the position of assistant conductor for talented women only.

information & registration

 

The position

The successful candidate will be offered a position as assistant conductor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande for the 2024-25 season starting on 12 August 2024 as part of a conductor training.

As part of a conductor training programme, the aim of the proposed position as assistant conductor of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande is to prepare the candidate for her future career as a conductor and/or music director. The programme includes work with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and its musical & artistic director, the development of outreach projects, as well as an introduction to the different functions that support the musicians of the Orchestra, e.g. awareness of production set-up, orchestra equipment, music library, communication, box office & audience development, and operating costs.

Main activities

Musical activites with the orchestra

  • Assist the Music and Artistic Director and guest conductors during rehearsals, concerts, recordings, tours and the recruitment of musicians.
  • Assist the Music and Artistic Director of the OSR in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
  • Prepare and conduct a series of concerts for young audiences or families, with commentary in French.

Activities related to the Orchestra

  • Participate in cultural activities, e.g. conducting workshops, career days and conferences.
  • Assist the artistic department, especially in the guidance of soloists and guest conductors
  • Attend meetings of the artistic committee.

Orchestral management

  • Attend OSR management training days (15 to 20 days during the season).
  • Introduction to the work of different departments: librarian, artist management, orchestra management (administrative and technical parts), communication, fundraising (sponsoring and patronage) and administrative & financial management.
  • Introduction to programming for young audiences.
  •  

Other functions to be defined pending discussion with the orchestra's management.

Registration

KEY DATES

Application deadline : Sunday 18th February 2024
Competition final round : Friday 12th April 2024 in Geneva

The works to be prepared will be communicated on the 20th January 2024.

information & registration

Conditions of registration
  • Be under 36 years of age on 31th March 2024.
  • Possess experience conducting professional musicians
  • Be able to attend & conduct during the final selection round in Geneva on Friday 12th April 2024
  • Be available from12th August 2024to11th August 2025(in case of other conducting contracts during this period, please indicate the periods and details of these engagements - which orchestra, which repertoire, dates of concerts/performances)
  • Be able to express yourself in French
  •  
Application documents
  1. Your Curriculum Vitae in French, English or German
  2. A cover letter explaining your motivation for the position
  3. 2 videos in a conducting situation that scrupulously respect the following criteria :

Two pieces of contrasting character of maximum 10 minutes/per piece with orchestra or small ensemble (minimum 9 musicians). The videos must be :

  • of good quality, with good visibility of the conductor
  • recorded after 31st March 2021
  • in a rehearsal situation or with an audience
  • accompanied by a short description (place, date, ensemble, piece...)
Advice for preparing your video
  • Choose a video that best represents you, in a repertoire that suits you well
  • Remove applause, stage entrances and exits, orchestra tuning and bows.
  • Think about the audiovisual quality of the excerpts & sound level
Important
  • Application for the post implies unreserved acceptance of the conditions of these rules.
  • Depending on the calibre of the candidates, the jury may decide not to fill the position.
  • The final appointment of the selected candidate is subject to obtaining a visa and/or work permit in Switzerland, if applicable.
Salary

CHF 8,000 gross / month for 12 months

information & registration

Rules

Selection

A maximum of four candidates will be selected on the basis of their application and video to participate in the final round of the competition on 12th April 2024 in Geneva.

video Selection

Two pieces of contrasting character of maximum 10 minutes/per piece with orchestra or small ensemble (minimum 9 musicians). The videos must be :

  • of good quality, with good visibility of the conductor
  • recorded after 31st March 2021
  • in a rehearsal situation or with an audience
  • accompanied by a short description (place, date, ensemble, work, etc.)
Final round with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Friday 12th April 2024 in Geneva (from 9.00am to 1.00pm & 2.00pm from 6.00pm)
The works to be prepared will be communicated on the 20th January 2024.

Jury

The jury for the video selection is composed of at least five people, including Jonathan Nott, Musical & Artistic Director, musicians from the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and two experts from outside the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

The jury for the final round is composed of the same jury as for the selection (the musicians of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande are consulted and represented by at least two members of the OSR present on the video selection jury).

with the support of

Current Assistant Conductor

Ana María Patiño-Osorio is the first Assistant Conductor for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Born in Colombia in 1995, Ana María Patiño-Osorio completed her Bachelors in conducting at the Universidad EAFIT in Medellin, then graduated from the Masters programme of Orchestral Conducting at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste as a student of Johannes Schlaefli in 2021.

In the same year she won the National Prize for best Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá. Finalist of the Solti International Conducting Competition in 2020, she has also participated in the Tanglewood Festival, and in masterclasses with Herbert Bloomsted, Matthias Pintscher, Bernard Haitink, amongst others.

Find here the whole biography of Ana María Patiño-Osorio..

On her experience at the competition, Patiño-Osorio says “I think something wonderful about the audition was that we played a lot of pieces from Mozart to Webern, and then Jarrell which is very new. From the beginning I have the feeling they want to see a lot of styles, a lot of music…”.

What impressed Jonathan Nott about our winner? A mix of her ability to conduct, to communicate and the charm with which she engaged each of the musicians. She created a real chamber music atmosphere within the orchestra.”