RSO’s new executive director takes helm in December
Tanya Derksen has been named the new executive director of the Regina Symphony Orchestra (RSO).
She’s expected to assume her new role in December, said Ken Azzopardi, the RSO’s interim executive director.
Derksen has spent the past eight years working with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) as the director of education and outreach.
“The Winnipeg Symphony has had a huge turnaround, has become one of the more successful symphonies in the country,” Azzopardi said. “And she’s been part of the management team that’s made that happen. That certainly is one thing she brings is that experience.
“She describes herself as a builder,” he added. “That’s good timing for us. We’re kind of in a rebuild mode with our search for a new music director. And the relationship between a music director and an executive director is very, very important. One brings an artistic vision and one brings a more economic vision to the symphony. So the timing is perfect for that sort of thing.”
Derksen will be involved in the selection process, working with the established search committee to find a replacement for maestro Victor Sawa, who will be leaving the RSO at the end of the 2015/16 season.
Eighty-some people applied for the RSO’s executive director position, Azzopardi said.
Of those, five were shortlisted. Derksen’s appointment was announced on the RSO’s website on Thursday.
“I am thrilled to be joining the RSO team to bring my passion, experience and skills to continue building a strong and vibrant professional symphony orchestra for the people of Regina and southern Saskatchewan,” Derksen said in a news release posted on the RSO website. “I look forward to moving to the City of Regina and to working with the RSO board of governors, musicians and administration team over the coming years.”:
Derksen replaces Azzopardi, who stepped in when executive director Maxim Antoshin stepped down.