The Seattle Symphony. Photo by Brandon Patoc.
In Monday’s (5/13) Seattle Times, Gemma Wilson writes, “While it may seem to some like the Seattle Symphony is taking a long time to announce a new music director [following the departure of Music Director Thomas Dausgaard in early 2022], according to some Symphony musicians, administrators and industry experts, it’s actually not…. ‘We ask a lot of our music directors, there’s no question,’ said Simon Woods, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras, and from 2011 until early 2018, president and CEO of the Seattle Symphony. In addition to that ineffable connection between maestro and musicians that generates electricity on stage, music directors must bring unique vision to artistic planning, cultivate board members and potential board members, build a relationship with their city and community, and, ideally, create a culture of respect, inclusion and excellence within the organization…. Krishna Thiagarajan, president and CEO of Seattle Symphony, said the Symphony’s search for Dausgaard’s successor began in earnest between one-and-a-half and two years ago, and today, it’s ‘really close [to] announcing somebody.’… Thiagarajan said he wants to give every candidate the chance to make their music to the best of their ability, without any external pressure or prying eyes…. In Seattle, Thiagarajan said, they’re looking for candidates who not only have an inspiring vision for the Symphony and excellent chemistry with the orchestra and the audience, but also a rapport with the diverse humanity of Seattle itself.”
