Canadian conductor Adam Johnson rounds out the field of finalists for symphony director

Adam Johnson used to think of making music as a chore — until he first saw an orchestra play.

These days, Johnson of Montreal is an internationally known conductor and a candidate for the Olympia Symphony Orchestra’s music director position. He’ll lead the orchestra Sunday, May 22, as part of the hiring process.

Conducting is what he has wanted to do since he was 16 and saw the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra play in his hometown of Hinton in rural Alberta, Canada.

“The concert was in the local movie theater because that was the only place where we had any sort of stage,” Johnson told The Olympian. “It was the first time I realized that someone could make a living playing an instrument. I couldn’t believe it: Grown men and women were there playing violins. I thought you had to be a teacher, doctor, fireman, whatever. This opened up a whole new world for me, and I was fascinated by the conductor who was leading the whole thing. That’s when my interest in the orchestra world began.”

Though he came relatively late to his passion for classical music, he jokes that he’s been a professional musician for a long time.

“I started piano lessons at 7, and I wasn’t particularly interested,” he told The Olympian. “Practicing was one of the things I had to do to get my weekly allowance. I had to practice each piece three times a day.”

After watching the orchestra — and listening to a Vladimir Horowitz CD — he got serious about classical music, studying and performing piano before focusing on conducting, which he’s been doing professionally for the past decade.

He’s conducted the Montreal Symphony Orchestra more than 65 times and has worked with most of Canada’s other major orchestras and many internationally. Now, he’s eager to move to the next stage of his career. He’s a music director finalist not only in Olympia but also with three orchestras in Canada.

“There’s a special relationship that forms between a music director and a group of musicians, and that relationship allows us to evolve together,” he said. “You can try new things and take more musical risks.”

He’s already enjoying building a relationship with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra musicians.

“It was immediately clear when I started conducting the OSO that it is a group full of not only talent but also extraordinary people,” he said. “There’s a feeling that the orchestra is a family that enjoys making music together.”

And the orchestra is far from the only thing he likes about Olympia, where he’s explored the waterfront, visited the Hands On Children’s Museum and met lots of locals. “I like the unique style of the city, the rather casual and comfortable atmosphere, the amazing flowers and greenery (and) the scenic Capitol grounds,” he said.

In fact Olympia’s natural beauty was part of what led him to apply for the music director position. “I’m drawn to this region,” he said. “I’m a big fan of the outdoors. I spent a lot of time on the West Coast near Vancouver as a kid.”

Johnson is the last of the candidates to lead a concert as part of the search process, and the orchestra plans to announce the successor to Huw Edwards, who left the orchestra in 2020, at a June 24 gala.

The orchestra’s search committee is looking for “musical chemistry,” said committee chair Chris Barnes. “All four finalists are outstanding musicians with experience that is appropriate for our orchestra. We’re not looking for specific technique. It’s more of an intangible thing — it’s the experience of making music together.”

Olympia Symphony Orchestra

• What: Adam Johnson, a finalist for the position of music director of the OSO, will conduct the orchestra for a concert as part of the hiring process.
• When: 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22
• Where: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St. SE, Olympia
• Tickets: $6-$65
• More information: http://www.olympiasymphony.org
• On the program: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Overture to “Egmont,” Op. 84; Astor Piazzolla’s “Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires),” featuring violinist Kristin Lee, artistic director of Emerald City Music; and Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D Minor
• Gala announcement: The orchestra will announce its next music director — Johnson, Alexandra Arrieche, Kelly Kuo or Zoe Zeniodi — at its June 24 gala.
• Also: Audience members are encouraged to wear masks.