Conductor Victor Sawa leaving Regina symphony in 2016

Conductor Victor Sawa is leaving the Regina Symphony Orchestra in two years, the board of the RSO announced Thursday.

Sawais also the symphony's music director.

At the end of the 2015-16 season I will have been with the RSO for 20 years, Sawa said in a news release. It has been an honour to work with the RSO through so many memorable seasons. However I feel that the time is right to pass the baton.

The release said the RSO board will establish a committee to begin the search for a new music director and conductor.

Sawa is expected to assist with the search, and potential candidates could be auditioned before audiences as well.

"The public will participate by attending concerts [and] offering feedback," the board's president, Terri Harris, said. People will also be invited to help the RSO honour Sawa's long tenure.

It was learned on Friday thatSawa's departure does not affect his work with the orchestras in Saskatoon and Sudbury, Ont., where he is also working.

Sawa said he planned to continue to live in Regina.

Prior to establishing himself in Regina, Sawa was the resident conductor for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra.