Employment Opportunity - Toronto Symphony Orchestra

  Vice President, Artistic Planning

For over a century, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) has played a fundamental role in shaping and celebrating Canadian culture. The TSO’s commitment to musical excellence and ability to spark connection remain as strong as ever. With a storied history of acclaimed concerts and recordings, Canadian and international tours, and impactful community partnerships, we are dedicated to engaging and enriching local and national communities through vibrant musical experiences. 

Music Director Gustavo Gimeno brings an expansive artistic vision, intellectual curiosity, and sense of adventure to programming the 93-musician Orchestra that serves Toronto—one of the world’s most diverse cities. The TSO performs over 100 concerts annually, offering a variety of programming from the classical canon to music composed in our time, as well as Pops, films, specials, and programming for young people.

Building on this momentum, the TSO’s 2026 European Tour marked a major milestone for the orchestra, spanning nine concerts across eight cities and reinforcing its reputation on the international stage. Highlights included acclaimed performances at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Vienna Konzerthaus—two of Europe’s most revered concert halls—alongside a week of concerts in Spain that drew enthusiastic audiences and critical praise. Undertaken with the strength and stability of a $34 million annual budget, the tour demonstrated the TSO’s artistic excellence, operational capacity, and growing global profile.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Organization: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Title: Vice President, Artistic Planning 

(permanent full-time position)

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Toronto

Team: The VP, Artistic Planning heads up a department of 7 with 3 

direct and 3 indirect reports.

Key Relationships: TSO Music Director, Gustavo Gimeno

Chief Executive Officer, Mark Williams

TSO’s Executive Leadership Team

TSO’s Artistic Team, including Composer Advisor, Affiliate

  Composer & Resident Conductor

TSO Principal Pops Conductor, Steven Reineke

TSO Concertmaster

TSO’s Artistic Advisory (musicians’) Committee

Start Date: Summer 2026 (date negotiable)

Salary & Benefits: CAD $160,000 - $190,000 annually, depending on

   experience. Benefits include health & dental plan,

   and pension.

How to Apply: The TSO uses HUMI, an online portal system, to 

receive applications. Full details, including the link to apply can be found at the bottom of this document.

Submissions will be accepted until Friday, March 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm

Round 1 interviews will take place during the week of April 13, 2026 (virtual)

Round 2 interviews will take place during the week of April 27, 2026 (in-person)

Finalist interviews will take place during the week of May 11, 2026 (in-person)

(Schedule subject to change.)

TSO thanks all candidates for their interest; only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

Position Summary: 

The Vice President, Artistic Planning is a senior leader and member of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) responsible for developing and executing multi-year artistic plans that reflect the TSO's institutional vision: to be the orchestra of Toronto — one of the world’s most diverse cities. The VP translates the Music Director’s artistic vision and the organization’s strategic priorities into programming that serves the full breadth of Toronto’s communities, fulfills the TSO’s national mandate, and enhances the organization’s international profile.

Major Duties and Responsibilities: 

Artistic Vision & Program Leadership

• In close partnership with the Music Director, Artistic Advisory Committee, and CEO, develop and implement a multi-year artistic vision that is ambitious, financially grounded, and genuinely reflective of Toronto’s cultural diversity.
• Create annual and long-term programming across all series — Classics, Pops, Films & Specials, TSO Chamber Soloists, and special projects — that achieves the Music Director’s artistic aspirations and the institution’s strategic goals.
• Hold explicit accountability for programming that reflects and serves Toronto’s multicultural communities, cultivating relationships with artists, composers, conductors, and organizations outside the traditional classical pipeline, including Indigenous artists, artists of colour, and artists with disabilities.
• Maintain deep, current knowledge of artists, conductors, and composers in Canada and worldwide, with a particular commitment to cultivating emerging and underrepresented voices.
• Lead the artistic development of major institutional projects including tours, recordings, commissions, festivals, and opera-in-concert.
• Partner with community-facing departments to ensure programming choices actively support audience development goals, including the cultivation of new and younger audiences.
• Support Artistic Planning staff in programming revenue generating concerts, such as films and specials, that diversify the TSO’s audience base.
• Supervise the work of the TSO’s Archivist and leverage the orchestra’s artistic legacy, ensuring its rich history is used to inform future programming, storytelling, and institutional identity.
• Develop and articulate programming rationale for the Board, donors, media, and community stakeholders in a clear and compelling manner.

Financial Leadership & Strategic Partnership

• Negotiate contracts with artist managers and oversee the administration of the overall artistic budget in conjunction with the AVP, Artistic Administration.
• Lead the proforma assessment process for major special projects, ensuring artistic and financial viability are evaluated together from the earliest stages.
• Collaborate with the CFO and General Manager on financial analysis and cross-departmental planning.

Digital, Media & Content Strategy

• Serve as the artistic planning voice in the TSO’s digital and media strategy: provide input on streaming, broadcast, recording, and content initiatives in collaboration with relevant departments.
• Identify and develop opportunities for digital programming, media partnerships, and content that amplifies the TSO’s artistic work beyond the concert hall.
• Stay current on how peer institutions are navigating the evolving media landscape and bring informed recommendations to the Executive Leadership Team.

Institutional Leadership & External Representation

• Represent the artistic vision of the TSO as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, contributing to institutional strategy beyond the artistic department.
• Serve as a public voice for the TSO’s artistic identity: speak and write on behalf of the institution, attend industry conferences and festivals as needed, and cultivate relationships with peer organizations nationally and internationally.
• Support the CEO and Music Director in Board and donor engagement as requested, articulating artistic plans and priorities with clarity.
• Attend concerts and major artistic presentations (local and international) for programme development and relationship management purposes.
• Supervise and provide strategic direction to the Artistic Planning team, including the Associate VP, Artistic Administration, the Director of Pops & Special Concerts, and the Composer and Conducting teams.

Nature and Scope of Responsibility 

Leadership & Delegation

The VP Artistic Planning leads a department responsible for the full cycle of season planning. The Associate VP, Artistic Administration holds primary operational accountability for the mechanics of season execution — scheduling, contracting, budget tracking, database management, and cross-departmental coordination. The VP’s leadership is most appropriately concentrated at the strategic, relational, and creative levels, with clear delegation of administrative execution to the AVP.

Decision-Making Authority

• Artist and repertoire selections: carry direct consequences for performance quality, audience experience, musician morale, and season budget.
• Scheduling decisions: affect musician well-being, labour relations, and operational workflow across the organization.
• Engagement and non-engagement of artists: shapes relationships with artists and management agencies, and has lasting institutional implications.
• Program vision: directly influences public perception, community relevance, and the TSO’s short and long-term positioning.
• Special project development: large-scale initiatives require early and careful financial and logistical assessment.

Key Judgment Areas

• Balance artistic ambition with financial parameters, advocating effectively within existing constraints.
• Synthesize the competing priorities of international artistic perspective with the TSO’s Toronto-specific mandate.
• Navigate the tension between programming for established audiences and actively cultivating new ones.
• Reconcile short-term scheduling pressures with long-term institutional planning.

Relationship Management 

• Music Director: The foundational working relationship. Requires deep mutual trust, creative openness, and the ability to serve and constructively challenge the Music Director’s vision in equal measure.
• CEO: Reports directly; a close strategic partnership requiring transparency, alignment, and shared accountability for artistic and institutional goals.
• Artist Managers & Agencies: Requires sustained relationship investment, professional integrity, and the credibility that comes from being a reliable institutional partner.
• Artists & Composers: Requires genuine advocacy, cultural sensitivity, and the creation of conditions in which artists can do their best work.
• Executive Leadership Team: Strong cross-functional relationships are essential; the VP must be an informed and constructive voice on financial, marketing, development ,and community engagement matters that intersect with programming.
• Artistic Planning Team: Clear direction, effective mentorship, and a leadership style that enables the team to operate with confidence and ownership.
• Board of Directors: As requested, present artistic plans with clarity and strategic framing on behalf of the Music Director and CEO.
• Community & Cultural Organizations: Build and sustain relationships with organizations and stakeholders outside the traditional classical music sector, in service of the TSO’s community mandate.
• Industry Colleagues (including Roy Thomson Hall & Weston Recital Hall): Maintain constructive peer relationships to stay current on programming trends, content development, and best practices.

Experience & Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of orchestral music, Canadian and international artists, conductors, and management agencies; degree in a music-related field or equivalent professional experience required.
• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive experience in artistic planning, programming, or a related field at a major presenting institution, with demonstrated increasing responsibility.
• Broad and current knowledge of contemporary artists and composers, with particular awareness of artists from underrepresented communities — locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to develop programming that reflects diverse cultural communities and expands the institution’s audience and relevance.
• Proven record of strong contract negotiation skills and managing complex multi-million dollar artistic budgets.
• Experience in, or strong familiarity with, digital programming, media rights, streaming partnerships, and content strategy as they apply to live performing arts.
• Exceptional relationship management skills with artists, agents, managers, and peer institutions at a senior level.
• Demonstrated public-facing ability: comfort speaking, writing, and representing institutional artistic vision in media, community, and sector contexts.
• Exceptional organizational skills; ability to manage competing priorities with grace under pressure.
• Knowledge of how to use OPAS or a willingness to learn.

Working Conditions/Physical Demands:

• Regular evening and weekend attendance at TSO concerts, hosted events, and post-concert functions.
• Frequent travel to meet with artists, conductors, and managers; attend industry conferences and festivals; potential advance touring and recording projects.
• Sustained computer work: correspondence, planning documents, artist research, listening to recordings and reviewing artist materials.
• The pace of the role is demanding and non-linear; the ability to move fluidly between long-horizon strategic planning and immediate operational decisions is essential.

How to Apply: 

The TSO uses HUMI, an online portal system, to receive applications. Apply here  

https://tso.applytojobs.ca/ to submit your cover letter and resume. Submissions will be accepted until Friday, March 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm.

Round 1 interviews will take place during the week of April 13, 2026 (virtual)

Round 2 interviews will take place during the week of April 27, 2026 (in-person)

Finalist interviews will take place during the week of May 11, 2026 (in-person)

(Schedule subject to change.)

TSO thanks all candidates for their interest; only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is committed to having a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of the City of Toronto and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals, especially those who can provide unique perspectives and contribute to a further diversification of ideas. 

The TSO is committed to providing accommodations for people with disabilities. If you require accommodation, the TSO will work with you to meet your needs. 

NOTE: TSO does not utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the hiring process.

Experience & Qualifications:

• Deep knowledge of orchestral music, Canadian and international artists, conductors, and management agencies; degree in a music-related field or equivalent professional experience required.
• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive experience in artistic planning, programming, or a related field at a major presenting institution, with demonstrated increasing responsibility.
• Broad and current knowledge of contemporary artists and composers, with particular awareness of artists from underrepresented communities — locally, nationally, and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to develop programming that reflects diverse cultural communities and expands the institution’s audience and relevance.
• Proven record of strong contract negotiation skills and managing complex multi-million dollar artistic budgets.
• Experience in, or strong familiarity with, digital programming, media rights, streaming partnerships, and content strategy as they apply to live performing arts.
• Exceptional relationship management skills with artists, agents, managers, and peer institutions at a senior level.
• Demonstrated public-facing ability: comfort speaking, writing, and representing institutional artistic vision in media, community, and sector contexts.
• Exceptional organizational skills; ability to manage competing priorities with grace under pressure.
• Knowledge of how to use OPAS or a willingness to learn.