Philharmonia Northwest Announces Michael Wheatley as Next Music Director

Following a year-long Music Director Search, Philharmonia Northwest is pleased to announce Michael Wheatley as its next Music Director, to begin in the 2024-25 Season. Wheatley was unveiled to an audience of supporters at their annual gala Sunday night.

“I am overjoyed to be Philharmonia Northwest’s new Music Director,” shared Wheatley. “I was so impressed and inspired by this orchestra during our concert together last November. They are such a highly skilled and sensitive body of musicians.”

“Michael was welcomed with great enthusiasm last night by the orchestra, board, and guests,” shared Board President Ann Rackl, who noted that Frances Walton—the orchestra’s 96-year-old founder and first Music Director—was in attendance to symbolically (and literally) pass Wheatley a baton. “The orchestra is very excited about making great music next season under Michael’s leadership!”

Chosen from a field of four outstanding Music Director Finalists, Maestro Wheatley wowed the orchestra and audience with his leadership and musicality last Fall, in his concert with us at Town Hall Seattle. The program featured stellar interpretations of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony and Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto, the latter with an electrifying performance by soloist Paige Roberts Molloy.

Wheatley succeeds longtime Music Director Julia Tai, who departed in 2023 to assume the same position with the Missoula Symphony. In doing so, he has become the orchestra’s fourth Music Director, in a lineage including Tai, Roupen Shakarian, and Walton—who established the ensemble as the Thalia Chamber Symphony in 1976.

While Philharmonia is far from finalizing concert details for next season, its new conductor is already hard at work brainstorming, and offered a few hints: “Our audiences can expect us to build on Julia Tai’s brilliant work over the last twelve seasons,” Wheatley expounded. “Our programming will be eclectic, diverse, and wide ranging.”

“But, as our audience and I discovered last November, this is a phenomenal Beethoven ensemble. We will be including a return to his symphonies, in part because it is an uncommon opportunity whenever an audience gets to hear them with an ensemble more akin to what Beethoven’s own orchestras were like. Often, his works were first heard with very modest orchestral forces.”

Currently Music Director of the Skagit Symphony, Wheatley has established a reputation as a builder of orchestras and audiences over a decades-long career spanning three continents. Prior to arriving in the Pacific Northwest, he held conducting posts with the American Youth Philharmonic, Seven Hills Sinfonietta (Cincinnati, OH), and the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra. He has also led professional orchestras in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine.

There are two remaining opportunities to hear Philharmonia Northwest in its 2023-24 Season:

• “Three Bs & One E,” April 27, 2pm at Benaroya Hall, with Kirkland Choral Society; Glenn Gregg conducts in his final appearance as KCS Music Director
• The Seattle Young Artists Concerto Concert, May 11, 7:30pm at Town Hall Seattle; Julia Tai returns to conduct Philharmonia Northwest with winners of the SYA Concerto Division

Posted on April 15, 2024