Orchestra Victoria is pleased to announce the appointment of award-winning Australian conductor Jessica Gethin as Artistic Advisor.
The Artistic Advisor is Orchestra Victoria’s lead artistic role, offering expert guidance to uphold performance standards as a world-class pit orchestra for its performance partners, which include Opera Australia and The Australian Ballet.
Gethin will work closely with orchestral management in relation to musician recruitment and performance, collaborate with key artistic personnel from Orchestra Victoria’s performance partners, and will offer repertory advice to create and prepare the orchestra’s self-presented programs as per the Company’s Strategic Plan.
“Orchestra Victoria holds a unique resonance for me as an artist; with its rich history, diversity of repertoire and exceptional musicianship,” said Jessica Gethin. “As the Artistic Advisor, I’m excited to bring my experience in conducting for stage, opera, and ballet to further elevate Orchestra Victoria’s profile and reach new artistic heights.
“I am very much looking forward to working closely with the musicians and fantastic Orchestra Victoria team steering their creative vision and delighting audiences throughout Victoria and beyond.”
One of the most dynamic conductors in the country, Gethin glides seamlessly across genres of symphonic, ballet, opera, contemporary and film and performs extensively both nationally and internationally.
She brings a wealth of experience to the role, and currently holds the positions of Principal Conductor of the West Australian Ballet and Head of Orchestral Studies and Conducting at the WA Academy of Performing Arts.
She was Founding Chief Conductor of the Perth Symphony until 2019 and remains the Ambassador for the Perth Symphony’s Women on the Podium Conducting initiative.
Hailing from Western Australia, Gethin’s notable engagements include Sydney Symphony Orchestra, West Australian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Opera Queensland, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra and the West Australian Ballet among many others.
Gethin has a string of impressive accolades including being named among Limelight Australia’s Top 20 Artists, Brian Stacey Emerging Australian Conductor Award, AFR’s 100 Most Influential Women, a Churchill Fellowship, Dallas Opera’s Hart Institute Fellowship, finalist in the West Australian of the Year Awards and most recently, inductee into the 2024 WA Women’s Hall of Fame.
Gethin is regularly engaged as keynote speaker on leadership, diversity and high-performance teams, contributing to her rapidly growing profile as a leader in the arts both on and off the podium.
“Orchestra Victoria is thrilled to be working alongside Jessica Gethin as our Artistic Advisor,” said Orchestra Victoria General Manager Jacinta Ewers. “Her breadth of experience across Australia and beyond will be such a great asset to the musicians and management of this orchestra.
“We look forward to seeing how her artistic leadership shapes and grows our self-programmed activities across Melbourne and our regions, alongside the important work we do with our opera and ballet partners.”
For more information about Orchestra Victoria, visit: www.orchestravictoria.com.au for details.
Image: Jessica Gethin (supplied)