Music Director
Symphony Tacoma - Tacoma, WA
As a professional regional orchestra in the Pacific Northwest, Symphony Tacoma seeks a Music Director of the highest artistic ambition and seasoned professional experience. The organization is poised to advance to its next phase of growth as a regional artistic and educational resource and a leading performing arts institution. In partnership with a new artistic leader, Symphony Tacoma will continue building a distinct identity defined by creative programming, community relevance, and artistic vibrancy.
For 79 years, Symphony Tacoma has been a vital part of Tacoma’s cultural landscape, inspiring audiences through live musical experiences that both honor tradition and push beyond it. Founded in 1946 by 30 volunteer musicians from the University of Puget Sound, the organization was professionalized in 1993 under the leadership of Harvey Felder, now Conductor Laureate. Today, more than 80 professional musicians and a volunteer chorus of 70 perform annually for nearly 20,000 residents across Pierce County and the greater Puget Sound region. Symphony Tacoma’s core season includes five main-series classical concerts, holiday choral pops, an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, and educational concerts. Performances are presented primarily at the historic Pantages Theater, where Symphony Tacoma has been a principal resident arts organization for more than 30 years. The orchestra partners with a dynamic range of global soloists and visiting composers, presenting adventurous programming designed to serve and inspire Tacoma’s community. Symphony Tacoma is widely recognized as a flagship musical organization within a vibrant regional ecosystem of professional and community-based ensembles.
"This role offers more than stewardship of an established institution. It offers the opportunity to shape what a modern, community-connected symphony can be. We invite you to imagine your leadership here, within an organization with momentum and purpose, in a city that values the arts. For the right artistic leader, this is an opportunity to define the next chapter of Symphony Tacoma and to help shape the evolving role of a symphony orchestra in civic life. We hope you will consider joining Symphony Tacoma and becoming part of this extraordinary future." — Kit Evans, President, Symphony Tacoma Board of Directors
Please submit applications by April 1, 2026. No phone inquiries, please.
For more information, including core competencies and qualifications, please refer to the full prospectus.
For 79 years, Symphony Tacoma has been a vital part of Tacoma’s cultural landscape, inspiring audiences through live musical experiences that both honor tradition and push beyond it. Founded in 1946 by 30 volunteer musicians from the University of Puget Sound, the organization was professionalized in 1993 under the leadership of Harvey Felder, now Conductor Laureate. Today, more than 80 professional musicians and a volunteer chorus of 70 perform annually for nearly 20,000 residents across Pierce County and the greater Puget Sound region. Symphony Tacoma’s core season includes five main-series classical concerts, holiday choral pops, an annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, and educational concerts. Performances are presented primarily at the historic Pantages Theater, where Symphony Tacoma has been a principal resident arts organization for more than 30 years. The orchestra partners with a dynamic range of global soloists and visiting composers, presenting adventurous programming designed to serve and inspire Tacoma’s community. Symphony Tacoma is widely recognized as a flagship musical organization within a vibrant regional ecosystem of professional and community-based ensembles.
"This role offers more than stewardship of an established institution. It offers the opportunity to shape what a modern, community-connected symphony can be. We invite you to imagine your leadership here, within an organization with momentum and purpose, in a city that values the arts. For the right artistic leader, this is an opportunity to define the next chapter of Symphony Tacoma and to help shape the evolving role of a symphony orchestra in civic life. We hope you will consider joining Symphony Tacoma and becoming part of this extraordinary future." — Kit Evans, President, Symphony Tacoma Board of Directors
Please submit applications by April 1, 2026. No phone inquiries, please.
For more information, including core competencies and qualifications, please refer to the full prospectus.