Long-serving Managing Director of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra Nicholas Heyward will step down at the end of 2018, at the conclusion of his current contract, the orchestra announced today. Heyward was appointed Managing Director of the TSO in 2001, navigating the process of the organisation’s evolution from being part of the ABC to becoming an independent not-for-profit during the mid-2000s and oversaw the introduction of initiatives such as the Australian Conducting Academy, the establishment of the Australian Composer Series – which includes 21 recordings on ABC Classics, the Hush project and recordings on the Hyperion label – and the establishment of the Australian Music Program, a strategic pillar of the orchestra that ensures the inclusion of Australian music in the TSO Masters Series. He also established a separate endowment fund, the TSO Foundation.

TSO Managing Director Nicholas Heyward. Photo: supplied

During his tenure, Heywood secured relationships for the TSO with organisations such as the Museum of Old and New Art, the Australian Ballet, the Australian National Academy of Music, Festival of Voices and Victorian Opera as well as launching the TSO Live Sessions concerts. Recent performance highlights of Heyward’s tenure have included...