Founded in 1969, the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra (SJSO), is looking for a
for an appointment starting in 2027.
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 web site.
Selected live recordings:
Requisite qualifications for this highly challenging, part-time position are:
In order to ensure the choice of the best candidate for the SJSO, the following hiring procedure is in planned:
You submit an application.
The form will be made available online in autumn 2023.
You will be informed by the end of July 2024 whether you are invited for a conducting trial
Six to eight conducting trials will take place in November 2024
The most promising candidates will be invited to conduct the orchestra for a complete ‘trial tour’, allowing for the comprehensive evaluation of their artistic and pedagogic capabilities. This entails a one week rehersal with the orchestra, followed by a concert tour through switzerland.
Currently two trial tours are planned, one in spring 2026 and one in autumn 2026, although this may change.
After the trial tours a candidate will be chosen.
The tenure of our new Principal Conductor will begin in 2027 or by arrangement
For any questions concerning the application procedure get in touch with the president of the selection committee, Mr Georg Umbricht:
sjso@umbricht.ch