Junior Assistant Conductor

The Netherlands Philharmonic is one of the most versatile orchestras in the Netherlands. Besides major symphonies and orchestral works by composers like Mahler, Bruckner, Stravinsky and Brahms, its repertoire includes operas by Richard Strauss, Puccini and Wagner. The orchestra excels in the styles of the late Romantic and early twentieth century and is renowned for the high quality of its playing. Its home concert hall is the Koninklijk Concertgebouw, but in recent seasons the orchestra also performed on stages in Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Vienna, Paris and Munich. For more than thirty years, the Netherlands Philharmonic has been the primary orchestra partner of the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, and ranks among the finest opera orchestras in Europe.

The Netherlands Philharmonic, in collaboration with the Dutch National Opera, has the following vacancy:

Junior Assistant Conductor

Closing date: 7 February 2025 | Audition: 7 March 2025

Assistant conductors at the Netherlands Philharmonic are appointed for a season, but the role is usually extended for a second season. The assistant conductor will be involved in two opera productions (approximately two months per production) and around six concert productions in the 2025/2026 season. The orchestra will rehearse in the NedPhO-Koepel, its ‘home base’ in the east of Amsterdam, and concerts will be played in the Koninklijk Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well by invitation at other venues. The opera rehearsals and performances will take place at the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. Remuneration takes the form of a fee per production. If the junior assistant conductor does not live in the Netherlands but elsewhere in Europe, he/she will also receive an allowance for travel and accommodation costs.

The role

The vacancy is for a junior conductor starting out on his/her career.

The junior assistant conductor will attend rehearsals for the concert programmes led by our guest conductors. Lorenzo Viotti is the current chief conductor, but will return as guest conductor for a number of productions in the 2025-26 season. The junior assistant conductor will in any case work with Lorenzo Viotti during this season.

Where necessary, the assistant will prepare scores and parts, assist in all other preparatory work and in some cases take over a rehearsal, section rehearsal or stage rehearsal of a concert production from the conductor, either partially or wholly. In the case of stage rehearsals, we also require the assistant to provide the conductors with notation as well as to support instrumental groups within the orchestra. In addition, the artistic director can issue directions and assign specific tasks to the assistant during a production.

In the case of opera productions, the junior assistant conductor will work as second assistant at musical rehearsals and direction rehearsals. This will give him/her insight into the working methods of this major opera house in the runup to and during productions. Besides shadowing conductors in their work, he/she will assist and learn from one or more of the assistant conductors permanently attached to the Dutch National Opera. Sometimes we ask an assistant conductor to conduct a direction rehearsal or the piano rehearsal.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting, or a comparable qualification
• Experience of conducting professional orchestras
• You must be available on all the dates given below, and contractually commit to such availability:

Selection

An initial selection will be made, based on the applications received. Applicants are required to submit a motivation letter and three uploads/YouTube links of recent video footage of rehearsals or concerts of varying repertoires. The footage must not be more than two years old, and the conductor must be clearly visible in the videos. Please do not submit more than three uploads/links.

A maximum of 12 candidates will be selected for audition. After the auditions, one or two candidates will be invited to an interview. The purpose of the interview is to determine whether they have sufficient affinity with the role, possess the requisite knowledge, skills and temperament, and whether their expectations sufficiently match the role. The following persons will be involved in the selection process: the orchestra’s artistic director, Willem de Bordes; the chief conductor, Lorenzo Viotti; the head of artistic affairs at the Dutch National Opera, Damià Carbonell Nicolau; members of the Netherlands Philharmonic and members of artistic staff of the Dutch National Opera.

Closing date

The audition will be held on Friday 7 March 2025 in the NedPhO Koepel in Amsterdam. The closing date for applications is 7 February 2025.

Audition & Repertoire

Round 1

In the morning we will ask for candidates to conduct the orchestra through an extract from the symphony (for example the exposition or the reprise). We will then ask the candidate to rehearse an extract with the orchestra. After this round, a selection will be made for the second round, in which a number of candidates will be invited to take part.

Round 2

In the afternoon, the selected candidates will spend a short session working on opera repertoire with a number of vocalists accompanied by a pianist. The candidates will be expected to demonstrate their ability to direct vocalists in arias and to work with them on technical, dramatic and musical aspects.

Candidates are asked to prepare the following repertoire for the audition on 7 March:

• Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7, all movements, Bärenreiter edition (approx. 10.00-14.30)
• Opera repertoire for voice and piano (approx. 15.00-19.00). Click on the link below for the repertoire list and sheet music:

Information for applicants

We want to make classical music enjoyable for all. Accordingly, we seek to be a diverse, inclusive organisation, and subscribe to the Diversity & Inclusion Code drawn up by the Dutch cultural sector. We therefore invite everyone who is interested to respond.

Please note that auditions are only open to EU citizens and nationals of Iceland, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein, as well to musicians from other countries who have a permit entitling them to live and work in the Netherlands.

Applications for the vacancy must be submitted via the Muvac website by 7 February:

In order to be considered, your application must be complete (three uploads of recent video footage of varied repertoire, letter of motivation, contact details, curriculum vitae).

For more information about this vacancy, contact the Production Department at: auditions@nedpho.nl.