The Assistant Conductor will be an integral member of the artistic leadership team and conducting staff of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO). In collaboration with key staff, s/he is responsible for creatively planning and executing the ISO’s Education and Community Engagement concerts and activities. These highly-visible programs are essential to the ISO’s mission. The Assistant Conductor also provides vital support for the ISO’s Music Director, Principal Pops Conductor, guest conductors, and musicians as cover conductor for orchestra’s activity. The position is a member of the Artistic Operations department with direct mentorship and oversight by Artistic Advisor/Music Director and day-to-day reporting to the Vice President of Artistic Operations.
The Assistant Conductor position is a one-season appointment (2025/26), with the potential for an additional season extensions, up to three seasons in total. Winning candidate must be available to begin work in Indianapolis in September 2025.
Key Responsibilities
Write, program, host, and conduct Education and Community Engagement concerts in collaboration with and as assigned by the Music Director, Principal Pops Conductor, VP Artistic Operations, and Director of Education and Community Engagement.
Conduct other programs as assigned. Assist with offstage conducting needs, prepare scores, and call sound/light/supertitle cues as required.
Serve as cover conductor for all Classical Series services and for other services including, Pops, Film, and other special event concerts, as assigned.
Plan and host Community Engagement activities, including but not limited to pre-concert lectures and events with community partners.
Prepare scores for video recordings and act as score reader for video director.
Assist Artistic Advisor/Music Director with auditions, recordings, research and other duties as required/
Administrative duties which will include, but are not limited to, attending artistic planning meetings, as well as staff, board, and committee meetings.
Attend various concert and non-concert events representing the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Participate as directed in planning meetings, media events, fundraising activities, speaking engagements, development meetings and activities, administrative meetings and other activities as determined.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will demonstrate exceptional musicianship and conducting skills, and have a broad knowledge of orchestra repertoire in particular and familiarity with all genres of music in general. S/he will have strong public speaking, communication, interpersonal, leadership, and organizational skills. Creativity, flexibility, and the ability to work under pressure are extremely important to this position.
A minimum of five years’ conducting experience with symphony orchestras, including educational concerts. Bachelors level college or conservatory degree in music or conducting required. Advanced degree or training is preferred.
A detailed knowledge of orchestra operations, including familiarity with concert programming, professional performance practice, and the parameters of a union work environment are essential for this position. The successful candidate must be able to work well with resident and visiting artists with a broad spectrum of personalities.
Assistant Conductor must work days, evenings, and weekends, as required. Assistant Conductor shall reside in Indianapolis for the duration of the appointment. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
Compensation and Benefits
Salary is $50,000 for the 2025/26 season. The Orchestra will purchase or provide all scores required to fulfill conducting and cover duties.
The Assistant Conductor is eligible for the following benefits:
Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, holidays, bereavement)
Health, Vision, and Dental Insurance
Short-term and Long-term Disability
Group Life Insurance
Flexible Spending Account
403(b) Retirement Account
Complimentary Tickets, depending on availability
Application Procedure
Candidates are requested to submit the following materials to https://forms.gle/pLwpTWuuhCMaboA86 no later than April 1, 2025. All materials must be submitted via the google form, with written materials uploaded as either PDF or MS Word files. Candidates will be automatically notified once their application has been received via the google form.
Cover Letter
Résumé
Three references and/or letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are strongly encouraged.
Videos
Three videos showing recent conducting experience that include a varied selection of repertoire. Performance and/or rehearsal videos are acceptable.
Conducting videos must be of the conductor from the orchestra’s vantage point.
Total length of video submissions should not exceed 15 minutes.
A two minute video introducing yourself.
Videos must be submitted via YouTube, Vimeo, or similar online video hosting service. Videos may not be sent as files attached to emails. If videos are password protected, please be sure to include password information. If using YouTube, videos may be marked as “unlisted” but please DO NOT mark videos as “private.” Online video submission must be easily accessible by multiple users.
Audition Timeline
Applications due-April 1, 2025
Select candidates video interview with selection committee-late April
The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1930 by German conductor and local violin teacher Ferdinand Schaefer. At first comprised of volunteer musicians who split the revenue from ticket sales, the ISO became a professional orchestra with salaried musicians in 1937. That same year, Fabien Sevitzky – a Russian-born conductor and nephew of famed conductor Serge Koussevitsky – became Music Director of the ISO. Sevitzky’s appointment was highlighted in an April 5, 1937 article in Time Magazine, which began, “Of Midwestern orchestras, none has risen so rapidly or so recently as the Indianapolis Symphony.”
Soon after, the ISO blossomed into one of the nation’s most renowned orchestras. Sevitzky worked to promote the ISO through a variety of national radio broadcasts, and his successor, Izler Solomon, ensured the creation of the Clowes Memorial Hall on the campus of Butler University as a venue meant specifically for the ISO (until then, the ISO had been performing at the Murat Theater). Throughout the 1950s and 60s, the ISO traveled around the world to perform “Salute” concerts in countries such as Finland, Korea, Japan, Formosa, Portugal, The Netherlands, Israel, Mexico, Au...stria, Venezuela, Thailand, Greece and Chile – earning the Orchestra a Citation from the Voice of America and the United States Information Agency as well as a letter of commendation from President John F. Kennedy – the first ever such commendation to a symphony orchestra.
Solomon’s successor, John Nelson (1976-1987), is associated with the Orchestra's appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, plus a debut European tour in 1987. In the summer of 1982, a 14-year-old violinist named Joshua Bell was the first performer for the ISO's Marsh Symphony on the Prairie series, and in 1984, the ISO moved downtown to its new home at the restored movie palace -- the Circle Theatre.
In 1987, internationally renowned performer, conductor and composer, Raymond Leppard (1987-2001) was selected as the Orchestra's fifth Music Director. During his tenure, several key accomplishments took place: a return to regular recording with a series of CDs on the Koss Classics and Decca labels; performances on NPR's "Performance Today"; nationally-syndicated radio broadcasts of ISO concerts; acclaimed tours on the East Coast and two tours of Europe; and a performance at Carnegie Hall as part of the venue's centennial season.
Following Maestro Leppard's retirement, Mario Venzago was appointed Music Director (2002-2009) and led the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in a deeper commitment to repertoire of the mid-19th century -- specifically works by Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann -- the Second Viennese School, contemporary scores and new commissions, including Jennifer Higdon's Violin Concerto with world renowned violinist Hilary Hahn in 2008.
In the fall of 2007, Zachary De Pue was named Concertmaster for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and Alexander Kerr was appointed Principal Guest Concertmaster, a position utilized by only a handful of orchestras throughout the world. In October 2009, string trio Time for Three became the first artists-in-residence for the ISO.
In September 2011, Krzysztof Urba?ski began his tenure as the seventh Music Director of the ISO, and upon his appointment, was the youngest Music Director of any major American orchestra. Today, Maestro Urbanski is one of the most acclaimed and respected young conductors in the world.
The mission of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is to inspire, entertain, educate and challenge through innovative programs and symphonic music performed at the highest artistic level.