Julian Pellicano, conductor and music director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, has been named the new music director and conductor of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO).
Pellicano was selected following "a rigorous, year-long audition process" that saw four finalists conduct during the 2024-2025 season, the OSO says in a release. He emerged from a pool of 30 applicants to become only the sixth music director in the OSO’s 65-year history.
“It is truly an honour to be appointed as the next music director of the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra,” Pellicano says in the release. “Although my relationship with the musicians is very new, I experienced an electric vibrancy in their playing and wonderful positivity in their approach to music making.”
Pellicano says he looks forward to deepening his connection with the OSO’s musicians and audiences in the Okanagan Valley, describing the staff and board as “a passionate and enthusiastic group.”
Musicians with the OSO expressed support for the appointment, including concertmaster Rachel Kristenson.
“I am thrilled that Julian Pellicano has agreed to become our next music director,” she says. “He made the OSO sound the best. We were so at ease with him … we are so excited to share the stage with Julian.”
Pellicano will maintain his roles with the RWB and the National Ballet of Canada while taking on his new duties. He is already contributing to the OSO’s 2025-2026 season programming and is expected to make his debut concert appearance with the orchestra in February 2026.
His appointment follows the departure of Rosemary Thomson, who served as the OSO’s music director for nearly two decades.