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AZ Central: Phoenix Symphony’s search for a director: ‘An extraordinary moment of possibility’

April 3, 2025

By Ed Masely

The Phoenix Symphony is nearing the end of an intensive search for the symphony’s next Virginia G. Piper music director.

By the end of the 2024-25 season, 13 candidates will have served as guest conductors as part of an interview process that began in early 2023 when Tito Muñoz, who held that title for a decade, announced his decision to end his tenure, agreeing to stay through the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

As symphony CEO Peter Kjome says, “This is an extraordinary moment of possibility and opportunity for the Phoenix Symphony, and that’s something that’s been very exciting to our guest conductors, thinking about the tremendous progress that’s been made by the Phoenix Symphony and the remarkable opportunity that we have going forward.”

The Phoenix Symphony started its search with 100 candidates

Mo Stein, who heads the search committee, says, “We created a plan over a year and a half ago, knowing Tito would be leaving. We went to some extraordinary effort to make sure that we were broad and diverse and considered all aspects of the search.”

The committee started with about 100 candidates, a list compiled with input from symphony musicians (which Stein says is “extraordinarily helpful because they know the musicianship and the leadership quality of a music director as well as anybody”), a consultant and recommendations from the search committee.

Some candidates had previously served as guest conductors.

“And then we just sorted it down by what we could determine by resumes, by video, from personal recommendations and experience,” Stein says.

That initial list was narrowed first to 30, then 20 and finally the 13 candidates who served as guest conductors, three in the 2023-24 season and 10 this season, which also finds Muñoz returning to Symphony Hall for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony the weekend of April 25-27 in his new role as artistic partner.

Tito Muñoz conducts the Phoenix Symphony at Symphony Hall on Oct. 16, 2022.

Phoenix Symphony invited 13 candidates to act as guest conductors

“We’ve had them come in as early as Monday of the performance week,” Stein says.

“Some come in on Wednesday. They conduct rehearsals. They have time with the musicians. They have time with the management. The selection committee meets with them on Saturday for a conversation. And we give them the opportunity on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to perform and be part of our season.”

This season’s performances have all included a “mystery piece,” as chosen by the guest conductor, an idea borrowed from the Pittsburgh Symphony.

“We asked each of our guests to bring with them a mystery piece, if you would, that is unknown, and play it with the orchestra, and they talk about why they selected that mystery piece,” Stein says.

“That’s been very fun, and, I think, well received by our audiences.”

In addition to an interesting surprise for the symphony, Kjome says, “It’s also an opportunity for our audiences to hear from our conductors as they talk about the piece and why it was selected. And that’s been a really special part of what’s happened.”

‘We’re right on time’ in search for new conductor

Stein says he’s seen a great reaction to these guest conductors from the audience as well as he musicians in the symphony.

“There are some that the musicians have been extraordinarily enthusiastic about,” Stein says. “So we’re right on time.”

The difficult part of any search like this, he says, “is that it takes a while to see everybody we want to see, we don’t want to leave somebody out and we’re still looking to be inspired.”

Two or three candidates will likely be invited back “for kind of a second go-round, if you would,” Stein says.

“Additional conversations, additional time with the musicians, additional time with the community, and to have a really thoughtful conversation about what this opportunity is and what it means to all of us.”

That could extend the search into the 2025-26 season to allow the strongest candidates to do another week of guest conducting while also spending more time in and with the community.

They may be asked to program the entire concert in that second round of guest conducting instead of just choosing a mystery piece.

‘One of the most important decisions that an orchestra can make’

Kjome sees the search for a music director as “one of the most important decisions that an orchestra can make,” so it’s very important, he says, “that we’re involving all of our key stakeholders in the process.”

The search committee includes three board members, one staff member and five musicians.

“The input of our musicians is a critically important part of the process,” Kjome says.

“After each week when we’ve had a guest conductor, we survey our musicians so that all of our musicians have an opportunity for their voice to be heard. And that’s a really vital part of what the search committee then talks about as we think about who we might select as our new music director.”

There are many factors to consider.

“It’s necessary, but not sufficient, for our new music director to have brilliant artistry on the podium and wonderful concerts in Symphony Hall and other venues,” Kjome says.

“But the symphony’s role in our community is much broader than that. Our community engagement and education programs are so important. So it’s really important that our new music director be someone who really embraces that broader vision that we all have of the Phoenix Symphony as one of the most important cultural assets in Phoenix and Arizona.”

That community connection is at the heart of the symphony’s mission.

“Our mission is to enrich the lives of people in our community through extraordinary musical experiences through our concerts at Symphony Hall and other venues, but then also serving our community in so many other ways,” Kjome says.

“And to have a music director who shares that vision of the symphony’s broad role in serving our community is so important to us as we are advancing the symphony at a really important time in our history.”

Being a music director: ‘Not just the podium. It’s off the podium’

There’s much more to the job than conducting an orchestra.

“It’s not just the podium,” Stein says.

“It’s off the podium. It’s the incredible number of programs that we do in education. We just had a conversation about our Mind Over Music program that’s making a difference in test scores in kids in both science and math, and we want someone to be part of that. We want someone who is energetic about this orchestra and is willing to share that energy and help us grow.”

The search has been intensive but also exciting and inspiring.

“We’re highly optimistic that we will find a dynamic leader to come and join all of us in serving the community,” Kjome says.

“And then as the process comes to a conclusion, the search committee will determine who their recommendation is, and that recommendation is made to the symphony’s board of directors, who will then make the decision.”

It’s possible, Kjome says, that a decision could be made by the middle of this year.

“With that said,” he adds, “we also know this is a vitally important decision, and we’re going to take the time we need to find the right person for the Phoenix Symphony and the right person for our community.”

Stein agrees.

“In our hearts, we’d like to do it sooner than later,” he says. “But we’re committed to the process.”

In the meantime, the upcoming season is in good hands, Kjome says.

“We have a strong team of people working together on programming and all the different aspects of the symphony,” he says. “Even when an orchestra has a music director in place, it’s always a team effort. We collaborate.”

AZ Central: Phoenix Symphony’s search for a director: ‘An extraordinary moment of possibility’

The Phoenix Symphony started its search with 100 candidates

Phoenix Symphony invited 13 candidates to act as guest conductors

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