“The Portland Symphony Orchestra’s search for a music director got a little more complicated on Monday with the news that PSO assistant conductor Andrew Crust has accepted the assistant position with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra—the orchestra that hired the PSO’s outgoing music director Robert Moody,” writes Bob Keyes in Saturday’s (6/26) Portland Press Herald (Maine). “That means that Moody and Crust will both depart Portland after the 2017-18 season for jobs in Memphis. … Four finalists to replace Moody will conduct in Portland in the coming season … The orchestra won’t begin searching for an assistant conductor until it hires a replacement for Moody, said PSO Executive Director Carolyn Nishon. She also said the turnover in the artistic leadership will not affect the quality of the music or programming. ‘For each of our music director candidates coming in the 2017-18, we are currently asking about their availability for 2018-19 dates,’ Nishon said Monday. ‘This is done so that the winning candidate will be featured in the 2018-19 season as music director designate…. to ensure that while the 2018-19 will be the music director designate year, the new music director of the Portland Symphony will have a Maine presence.’ ”
Posted June 27, 2017
