Conducting

Australian conductor Jen Winley was appointed West Australian Symphony Orchestra’s inaugural Associate Conductor in 2024, after holding the Assistant Conductor position since 2022.

A highly accomplished percussionist and timpanist, Jen has previously appeared in regular performance with WASO, as well as with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Victoria. She returned to MSO in 2024 for her first conducting appearance with the orchestra.

Jen made her professional conducting debut with WASO in 2020. She is a highly versatile conductor and has since led most of Australia’s premiere orchestras in an array of projects, including subscription mainstage concerts, Family, Education and Community projects, regional tours, films in concert, and contemporary and recording projects. A highlight from her cross-genre projects includes conducting the world-premiere performances of Drapht and WASO: How the West Was Won; a collaboration with Perth hip-hop artist Drapht. Jen is a member of an exclusive group of conductors around the world who are approved to conduct Disney in Concert events, going on to conduct WASO in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Frozen, and Toy Story in Concert. She has also conducted Gladiator and will conduct Psycho in 2026..

Jen made a further company debut with West Australian Opera as Music Director for Sondheim’s Into the Woods in 2023, returning to WAO in 2025 as rehearsal and backstage conductor and assistant to conductor Asher Fisch for Verdi il trovatore.

Jen is increasingly regarded as an artistic and inspiring conductor for symphonic repertoire. Jen has a particular interest in applying HIP principals to modern orchestras in late classical to romantic period repertoire and will be conducting Haydn with WASO and ASO in 2026.

With her extensive background in music education, Jen is highly focused on innovative programming development for educational and family concerts and has frequently collaborated with acclaimed UK animateur Paul Rissmann, most recently conducting the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) in Peter and the Wolf. She has played a key role in in developing several shows in this genre for WASO. She oversees the WASO Conducting Fellowship Program, has conducted the Western Australian Youth Orchestra since 2019, and made her debuts with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra and Monash University Academy in 2025.

Further debuts in 2025-2026 include the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and Christchurch Symphony Orchestra (New Zealand) with return invitations to QSO, WASO, WAYO, and MSO.