Rethinking the Music Director Paradigm for Today

In the October Strings Magazine, Brian Wise writes, “An ensemble’s search for the right music director is taking on added scrutiny. With many podiums to be filled—including those in Chicago, Cincinnati, Seattle, and Nashville—job descriptions are shifting. Some orchestras are putting an added focus on civic engagement, donor relations, and public brand building. Recent postings for chief conductors at the Dayton Philharmonic in Ohio and the Eugene Symphony in Oregon, to name two, featured lengthy lists of outreach responsibilities. This kind of rethinking is becoming more and more common as organizations consider the needs of their communities and audiences within the context of a changed musical landscape…. Though musical technique and chemistry are still baseline requirements, ‘the world that orchestras are operating in these days is so much more complex than it was even two decades ago,’ says Simon Woods, CEO of the League of American Orchestras, a trade organization. ‘Music directors will need to be full strategic leaders, thinking about the role of the orchestra in the community, about how to broaden audiences, about race equity, and about some of the other big issues that we are facing in society.’ ” The article includes comments from multiple conductors, music directors, and orchestra executives.