Four finalists have been announced in the search for the next music director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra.
The WSO announced Wednesday that two men and two women—Andrew Crust, Benoit Gauthier, Cosette Justo Valdes, and Carolyn Watson—are the final candidates.
The job has been vacant since the loss of the late Robert Franz.
Franz took the role in 2013 and led the orchestra until his death on September 3, 2025, at the age of 57 after losing a second battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Each finalist will conduct two WSO concerts this season and will meet with key stakeholders while in the city.
Music Director Search Committee Chair Deborah Severs says these final candidates are truly amazing.
“These four rose to the top. They have charisma; they exude music knowledge; they exude...I don’t want to compare them to Robert, but they were on stage, and what we saw of their scripts and what we saw of their videos-these four drew excitement from all of us,” she says.
The search was launched in December 2025 with 123 applicants narrowed down to 13 and now to the final four, who were selected by the full committee and approved by the board.
Severs says they thought when they looked at the 123 candidates, they thought it was going to be a daunting task.
“It was incredible. Those first 13 fell into place, and these top four after we saw their Zoom interviews-they all have this ‘je ne sais quoi,’ and if they have this, you’re going to love them. It’s going to be an amazing season to watch them, and it’s going to be a difficult decision,” she says.
According to the WSO, three are Canadian or Canadian residents, and two speak French.
Severs says all four of the candidates knew or knew of Robert Franz.
“They were very respectful of the legacy that he has here and knew of themselves that it was going to be a responsibility and a challenge for them to step up and not only recognize his legacy but also move on and create their own party, which we really want to let them do,” she says.
The music director is responsible for a number of aspects, including providing visionary artistic leadership; conducting orchestra rehearsals and concerts; and participating in fundraising, along with community outreach and public relations activities.
A schedule of concerts for each finalist is available online at windsorsymphony.com.
The Windsor Symphony Orchestra performs out of the Capitol Theatre at 121 University Avenue West in downtown Windsor.