Kansas City Symphony has announced that Associate Conductor Gonzalo Farias is leaving the organization after winning the audition to be the next Assistant for the Houston Symphony.

Farias, a Chile native, joined the Kansas City Symphony as Assistant Conductor in 2021 and was subsequently selected as Associate Conductor in 2022 following an international search that featured over 120 applicants.

“From the moment he took the podium at his audition for Assistant Conductor in 2021, Gonzalo Farias demonstrated without doubt his clarity and efficiency as a conductor and his elegant sensitivity as a musician,” said Music Director Michael Stern in an official press statement issued by the company. “Throughout the last two seasons, Gonzalo has continued to make a compelling case for music and for the Kansas City Symphony in the community. He quickly became a devoted member of our KCS family, and he has proved again and again to be an invaluable partner not only to me but to all of our colleagues, on stage and behind the scenes. He made an indelible mark on the musical life of our orchestra, and we will miss him. I am sure he will continue to succeed musically and personally. I know he is going on to an exciting new chapter with the Houston Symphony, where I am sure he will continue to excel and move forward in his career.”

Farias will kick off his tenure with Houston in September 2023, working alongside Music Director Juraj Valčuha; his major duties will include conducting the orchestra during a wide range of programs as well as covering for guest conductors.