Jon Limbacher will step down as president and managing director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at the end of December 2025. Photo provided by St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
In Friday’s (11/8) Star Tribune (Minnesota), Jenna Ross writes, “The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s president and managing director Jon Limbacher will retire in December 2025, at the end of his five-year contract … Limbacher’s time as president, which began in 2016, has been marked by balanced budgets, even through the pandemic … Limbacher was also with the SPCO from 2000 to 2012, finishing as chief operating officer. ‘I’ve been here in a leadership role for over 20 years,’ he said. ‘There’s a point where the organization needs new ideas and new perspectives….’ In May … members of the musicians union announced a vote of no confidence in Limbacher. [The musicians later signed a three-year agreement.] Limbacher, 62, said that the no-confidence vote didn’t influence his decision … A national search for his successor starts now … During his tenure, the chamber orchestra launched a free online concert library, offering children and students free tickets and creating a rainy day fund. That fund, along with private donations and federal support, helped the SPCO continue to pay its staff and musicians even after COVID-19 shuttered stages…. It was Limbacher’s planning ‘that … put us in a strong position …,’ said Deborah Palmer, chair of the SPCO board of directors.”
