Vice President, Artistic Planning

Overview

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.

Organization: Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Title: Vice President, Artistic Planning (permanent full-time position)

Reports To: Chief Executive Officer

Location: Toronto

Team: 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 an apply here button, 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.

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.

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…