The OPRL and Lionel Bringuier welcome two outstanding assistant conductors for the 2025–26 season
The annual assistant conductor recruitment competition resulted in the selection of Canadian conductor Maria Fuller (35), previously noted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and young Finnish-British conductor Ross Jamie Collins (24), a student of Jorma Panula and Esa-Pekka Salonen. They will join the 'OPRL family' for a season alongside Lionel Bringuier.
The OPRL’s assistant conductor recruitment competition is thriving! This past April, 7 candidates were shortlisted for auditions in Liège, selected from among 160 applicants. The 2025 candidates impressed with their high level of experience and already well-established, diverse career paths. Their strong interest in an assistant conductor position at the OPRL highlights the Orchestra’s growing international reputation and the appeal of its new Music Director within professional circles.
Lionel Bringuier and the OPRL selected two strong musical personalities with already remarkable backgrounds and broad international experience. Maria Fuller (35) and Ross Jamie Collins (24) will be invited to conduct the OPRL in public concerts and to collaborate with Lionel Bringuier and guest conductors during rehearsals with the Orchestra.
Maria Fuller
Canadian conductor Maria Fuller – 35 years old – stands out for her energy, versatility, and contagious enthusiasm. Selected by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, she is one of many Canadian conductors participating in a unique mentorship program in Montreal with him and the Orchestre Métropolitain. A pianist, trumpeter, award-winning composer, and renowned arranger, she also distinguishes herself as a vocal coach. Trained at the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati and at McGill University in Montreal, she is currently Resident Conductor at the Grand Theatre in Łódź (Poland) and co-founder of Ammolite Opera in Calgary (Alberta, Canada). A finalist in the Grzegorz Fitelberg Competition (Poland, 2023), she conducts numerous orchestras in Canada and Europe and is pursuing a brilliant international career. www.mariafuller.com
Ross Jamie Collins
Born in 2001 in Nottingham (United Kingdom), Finnish-British conductor Ross Jamie Collins is also a cellist, pianist, and baritone. At the age of 15, he conducted his first full symphonic concert. He then studied with Jorma Panula (who has trained some of the greatest conductors of recent decades) in Finland and with Esa-Pekka Salonen in Los Angeles. A prizewinner at the Panula Competition, he conducts numerous European orchestras. A Dudamel Fellow in Los Angeles in 2023–2024 and conductor-in-residence in Iceland, he will join the symphony orchestras of Boston, Helsinki, Tokyo, and Taipei, among others, in 2024–2025. He will also conduct the U.S. tour of Icelandic artist Laufey. He has collaborated with major figures such as Andrew Davis, Yuja Wang, and the San Francisco Symphony. www.rossjamiecollins.com