The Windsor Symphony Orchestra has narrowed its search for a new music director down to four candidates.
"These candidates are truly amazing, as you can tell, we narrowed it down from 123 to 13. All 13 candidates, we gave them an amazing shot. They had Zoom interviews, there was a lot of discussion, but these four rose to the top," said Deb Severs, Chair of the search committee.
The search for a new music director was launched in October of 2025 after long-time director Maestro Robert Franz passed away.
The final candidates include Andrew Crust, a Canadian-American Director and current Music Director at the Vermont Symphony Orchestra; Canadian conductor Benoît Gauthier, founding Artistic Director of the Orchestra symphonique de la Côte-Nord; Cuban-born conductor Cosette Justo Valdés, who served as the Artistic and Music Director of the Vancouver Island Symphony; and Australian-born Carolyn Watson, who is Principal Guest Conductor of the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra and Music Director of the La Porte County Symphony Orchestra in Indiana.
"They have charisma. They exude music knowledge. On stage, what we saw of their scripts, what we saw of their videos, these four drew excitement for all of us," said Severs.
Each of the finalists will visit Windsor to conduct two concerts during the 2026-2027 symphony season.
They will be evaluated on their musical ability, interactions with the symphony's musicians, and their ability to engage the wider community.
Anyone who attends the concerts conducted by the finalists will also be asked to complete a survey about what they witnessed.
For a schedule of the concerts, visit the Windsor Symphony Orchestra's website.
