Founded in 1969, the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra (SJSO), is looking for a
Principal Conductor and Artistic Director
for an appointment starting in 2027.
About us
The Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra SJSO consists of gifted musicians from all regions of Switzerland aged 15 to 25. The orchestra convenes twice a year (April/May and October/November) for several very intensive weeks, fascinating audiences in some of Switzerland’s major concert halls (such as Tonhalle Zurich, Stadtcasino Basel, or Victoria Hall Geneva).
The status of SJSO in the Swiss orchestral landscape compares to that of Germany’s Bundesjugendorchester (BJO) or the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (JDPh). The artistic level is exceptionally high. Its young musicians are willing to be challenged, taking important steps on their path to a professional career.
The orchestra’s core repertoire are large-scale symphonic works by Mahler, Shostakovich, Strauss, etc. This allows its emerging professional musicians to deepen their understanding of these canonic works of the orchestral repertoire.
The SJSO is made up of ca. 80–100 orchestral musicians. It is supported by the Foundation of the same name. A professionally operated head office in Zurich provides the necessary organisational framework. Further information is available on our website.
Selected live recordings:
• Brahms, Symphony no. 1 (2023)
• Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra (2022)
• Mozart, Piano concerto no. 21 with Oliver Schnyder (2021)
About you
Requisite qualifications for this highly challenging, part-time position are:
• a completed degree in conducting, or equivalent qualifications
• experience with large-scale symphony orchestras
• outstanding pedagogic competence
• passion, persistence and patience working with an orchestra
• well-rounded knowledge of symphonic literature
• command of at least two languages (rehearsals are in English)
Application form
The form will be made available online in autumn 2023.
For any questions concerning the application procedure get in touch with the president of the selection committee, Mr Georg Umbricht:
sjso@umbricht.ch