When Evan Roider makes his fifth appearance with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra on Jan. 17, it will not be as a guest conductor.
The TSO Pink Martini concert, part of the 2026 HSL Properties Tucson Jazz Festival, will mark Roider's debut as principal pops conductor.
The orchestra announced Roider's appointment Tuesday. It is the first time in the orchestra's 97-year history that it has had a principal pops conductor.
"We're committed to programming that can be broader than just the classical programming and reach different audiences," said TSO President and CEO Paul Meecham. "And we felt it was important that we had an artistic leader to be the mouthpiece and the artistic leader of the non-classical programming to complement, obviously, the musical directorship of José Luis Gomez."
Roider signed a three-year contract to work alongside Gomez, who is in his ninth season as TSO music director. In October, the orchestra extended Gomez's contract through the 2029-30 season.