NEWS!
WSO announces Naomi Woo as Assistant Conductor
May 28, 2019 - Winnipeg, MB - The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is delighted to announce Naomi Woo as its new assistant conductor. Naomi will begin her tenure with the WSO beginning at the start of the 2019-2020 season. The 29-year-old Canadian is a conductor, pianist, and musicologist whose interdisciplinary approach to performance and scholarship has captivated audiences in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Naomi has performed as a pianist in venues including Carnegie Hall and the Orpheum Theatre.
Passionate about contemporary music, she has conducted and performed dozens of world premieres and other works by living composers. She recently placed second in the 2016 Eckhardt-Gramatté competition in Brandon for Canadian and contemporary music, and was awarded the Prix Hélène-Roberge for the best performance of a Canadian work in 2015. Naomi holds a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale University, and will soon complete a PhD in Musicology at Cambridge University in England as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Her work has been generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and Help Musicians UK.
Naomi will be responsible for conducting all WSO educational concerts including the Great West Life Kids Concert series. Additionally, she will be the first Sistema Winnipeg music director and will be the new conductor of the University of Manitoba orchestra. Naomi will also conduct the WSO's Holiday Tour.
"I am delighted to join the Winnipeg Symphony orchestra as assistant conductor in September and am looking forward to working with Maestro Daniel Raiskin and the WSO family," says Naomi. "I am also thrilled to be able to pursue my passion for music education and community music-making with the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra and Sistema Winnipeg. I look forward to getting to know the vibrant arts community in Winnipeg."
"Naomi was a clear choice of both the search committee and the orchestra. She is a talented artist, versatile musician, and natural communicator," says WSO music director Daniel Raiskin. "I am convinced that in her new position Naomi will passionately contribute to the variety of the WSO's activities and be able to further learn, develop, and mature as a musician and conductor. I look forward to working with Naomi and welcoming her to the wonderful WSO family!"
The WSO is committed to developing and enhancing the Canadian orchestral community of conductors, composers, soloists, and orchestral players. The focus of this new position is to provide an opportunity for the musical development and career enhancement for female orchestral conductors.
About the WSO: The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a gem of an orchestra tucked into the geographic centre of North America. Music critic Norman Lebrecht describes it as "an orchestra with a sound all its own," and that is no surprise. From its debut 1948 performance to over 3,000 audience members, the WSO has become a powerhouse orchestra, regularly surprising guest conductors and artists with the exceptional musicianship and flexibility of its members. The WSO is integral to Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 225,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence. The WSO presents educational programs for more than 40,000 students annually and has toured across Canada, twice to New York's Carnegie Hall, and regularly across Manitoba.
Passionate about contemporary music, she has conducted and performed dozens of world premieres and other works by living composers. She recently placed second in the 2016 Eckhardt-Gramatté competition in Brandon for Canadian and contemporary music, and was awarded the Prix Hélène-Roberge for the best performance of a Canadian work in 2015. Naomi holds a BA in Mathematics and Philosophy from Yale University, and will soon complete a PhD in Musicology at Cambridge University in England as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. Her work has been generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the BC Arts Council, and Help Musicians UK.
Naomi will be responsible for conducting all WSO educational concerts including the Great West Life Kids Concert series. Additionally, she will be the first Sistema Winnipeg music director and will be the new conductor of the University of Manitoba orchestra. Naomi will also conduct the WSO's Holiday Tour.
"I am delighted to join the Winnipeg Symphony orchestra as assistant conductor in September and am looking forward to working with Maestro Daniel Raiskin and the WSO family," says Naomi. "I am also thrilled to be able to pursue my passion for music education and community music-making with the University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra and Sistema Winnipeg. I look forward to getting to know the vibrant arts community in Winnipeg."
"Naomi was a clear choice of both the search committee and the orchestra. She is a talented artist, versatile musician, and natural communicator," says WSO music director Daniel Raiskin. "I am convinced that in her new position Naomi will passionately contribute to the variety of the WSO's activities and be able to further learn, develop, and mature as a musician and conductor. I look forward to working with Naomi and welcoming her to the wonderful WSO family!"
The WSO is committed to developing and enhancing the Canadian orchestral community of conductors, composers, soloists, and orchestral players. The focus of this new position is to provide an opportunity for the musical development and career enhancement for female orchestral conductors.
About the WSO: The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is a gem of an orchestra tucked into the geographic centre of North America. Music critic Norman Lebrecht describes it as "an orchestra with a sound all its own," and that is no surprise. From its debut 1948 performance to over 3,000 audience members, the WSO has become a powerhouse orchestra, regularly surprising guest conductors and artists with the exceptional musicianship and flexibility of its members. The WSO is integral to Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 225,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence. The WSO presents educational programs for more than 40,000 students annually and has toured across Canada, twice to New York's Carnegie Hall, and regularly across Manitoba.