Pacific Symphony Names New Assistant Conductor

By David SalazarPacific Symphony has announced the appointment of Moon Doh as assistant conductor for the 2026-27 season.
In her new role, Doh will work alongside Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley while also leading the Symphony’s education and family programs. He will also serve as music director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra and will conduct the “Farmers and Merchants Bank Family Musical Mornings” series and the “Frieda Belinfante Class Act Youth Concerts.”
In addition to the new position, Doh will remain music director of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra.
“In searching for an assistant conductor, we strove to find a leader who can thrive across artistic, educational and community engagement responsibilities,” said John Forsyte, president and CEO of Pacific Symphony, per an official press release. “Moon Doh will be a remarkable fit in supporting Alexander Shelley during his inaugural season and beyond, and we look forward to welcoming him to the Pacific Symphony team.”
Previously, Doh was artistic director and conductor of the Flora Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, Germany, where he led the ensemble’s first livestream concert series and helped to expand educational partnerships with local music educators.
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Facts Only

* Moon Doh was appointed assistant conductor for the Pacific Symphony for the 2026-27 season.
* Doh will work alongside Alexander Shelley as assistant conductor.
* Doh will lead the Symphony’s education and family programs.
* Doh will serve as music director of the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra.
* Doh will conduct the “Farmers and Merchants Bank Family Musical Mornings” series.
* Doh will conduct the “Frieda Belinfante Class Act Youth Concerts.”
* Doh will remain music director of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra.
* Doh was previously artistic director and conductor of the Flora Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, Germany.

Executive Summary

Moon Doh has been appointed as the assistant conductor for the Pacific Symphony for the 2026-27 season. In this role, Doh will collaborate with Artistic and Music Director Alexander Shelley while also leading the Symphony’s education and family programs. Additionally, Doh will serve as music director for the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, conducting the “Farmers and Merchants Bank Family Musical Mornings” series, and the “Frieda Belinfante Class Act Youth Concerts.” Doh retains his position as music director of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra. The appointment was made to find a leader capable of managing artistic, educational, and community engagement responsibilities during Shelley's inaugural season and beyond.

Full Take

The structure of the appointment indicates a clear institutional prioritization: finding a leader who can bridge disparate domains—artistic direction, education, and community engagement—rather than focusing solely on musical performance. The explicit mandate to handle educational programs, youth orchestra leadership, and community series suggests that the organization views artistic leadership as intrinsically linked to outreach and development. This pattern reflects a contemporary trend where artistic stewardship is increasingly viewed through a lens of social responsibility, implying that leadership effectiveness is measured by the capacity to build bridges between high art and broader public engagement. The prior experience in an international context, specifically leading livestream series and expanding educational partnerships, suggests a history of operationalizing these outreach goals within an artistic framework. The implication is that the success of the symphony's future is contingent not just on musical execution but on successfully managing multifaceted community programming alongside artistic direction. What structures exist to ensure that these educational and community responsibilities receive commensurate resource allocation, or are they viewed as supplementary initiatives? How does this multifaceted role affect the focus and long-term sustainability of the core artistic mission?