Verde Valley News – The Verde Valley Sinfonietta is pleased to announce the appointment of its next Artistic Director and Conductor, Janna Hymes. Ms. Hymes was chosen from four superb finalists in Sinfonietta’s season-long search for a new music director. She was chosen from an original field of 99 candidates who initially applied for the position.
Her April 2nd performance with the Sinfonietta in Sedona included rousing performances of the Saint-Saens 1st cello concerto with guest soloist Sterling Elliott, and Beethoven’s 7th Symphony. The Sinfonietta’s 8-member search committee, comprised equally of orchestral musicians and board members, selected Hymes after considering both audience and orchestra evaluations.
Versatility, passion and innovation are the hallmarks of American conductor Janna Hymes. Renowned for her inspiring performances, musical depth and energetic presence both on and off the podium, she has developed a reputation as an exciting, detailed communicator. Praised by the press as “an architect, a builder in sound, a conductor with an overall view who never misses details”, Ms. Hymes has been Artistic Director of Indiana’s Carmel Symphony Orchestra (CSO) since 2017. A popular guest conductor, Hymes continues to expand her relationships with orchestras worldwide.
In May 2019 Ms. Hymes stepped down from her post as Music Director of the Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra. During her tenure, she led the orchestra on its first international tour at the Bermuda Festival of the Performing Arts and introduced several performance and education initiatives that are now part of the orchestra’s season. Recent performance highlights include guest engagements with the Venice Symphony (FL), and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra (VA).
Among the orchestras that Ms. Hymes has guest conducted are the Houston, Indianapolis, Oregon, North Carolina, Portland Symphony Orchestra (ME), New Hampshire, Hartford (CT), Madison (WI), Florida West Coast, Stamford, Harrisburg (PA), Spokane (WA), Richmond (VA), Springfield (MA), Chappaqua Chamber (NY), Bangor (ME) and Omaha symphony orchestras, as well as the San Francisco Women’s Philharmonic, Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and the Florida Orchestra. Internationally, she has led the Costa Rica National Symphony (where she has been a frequent guest) the Delta Ensemble of Holland (where she has toured Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague), the National Orchestre de Lyon, Besancon Chamber Orchestra and the Orquesta Sinfonica del Estado de Mexico.
Ms. Hymes’ previous posts include Music Director of the Maine Grand Opera, Associate Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony, Resident Conductor of the Charlotte Symphony and Music Director of the Columbus Women’s Orchestra, the Cincinnati Composers’ Guild and the I Solisti Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. She has served as Assistant Conductor of the Canton Symphony Orchestra (OH) and the Teatro Massimo Opera House in Palermo, Italy, and as a frequent guest of the Messiaen Academy in Zwolle, Holland. Ms. Hymes also founded and served as Music Director of the Maine Pro Musica Orchestra, a professional orchestra in Mid Coast Maine that she launched in 2008.
In addition to her professional conducting career, Ms. Hymes is a frequent guest speaker. She has served on the music faculty of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA), University of Akron (OH), Butler University (IN), and as Artist in Residence at Colby College (ME).
Born in New York City, Janna Hymes is a Fulbright scholar, recipient of a 1999 Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation Grant, and a prizewinner of the 1998 International Conducting Competition in Besancon, France. She studied under such prominent conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Meier, Otto Werner-Mueller and Gunther Schuller, and holds degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati. She also studied at the Tanglewood Music Center, Aspen Music Festival, the Festival at Sandpoint (ID), and the Conductor’s Guild Institute.
The president of the Sinfonietta and Chair of the Search Committee, Sue Buffum, commented “The board of trustees is delighted and excited to elevate the performance level of the orchestra under Janna Hymes’s direction. We believe that Janna will bring energetic and exciting artistic performances for the pleasure of the orchestra and the audience.”
There will be additional exciting Sinfonietta announcements coming soon!
Additional information is available at JannaHymes.com and VVSinfonietta.org