The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has announced that music director Marin Alsop will remain with the orchestra by signing a six-year contract extension, from September 2015 to August 2021--her second employment renewal with the band.
Maestra Alsop began her tenure as the orchestra’s 12th music director in September of 2007. Back in 2009, her contract was renewed through 2015.
This latest deal ensures that that other "BSO" will have its favored music director on the podium for nearly half of all subscription concerts.
Heralded for revitalizing the Baltimore Symphony in her early tenure, Marin Alsop continues to enhance the overall strength of the organization by upholding the highest of playing standards, creating new access points for community members of all backgrounds and, perhaps most importantly, building audiences by transforming the symphonic experience.
Alsop's artistic leadership and bold programming have secured critically acclaimed recordings on major labels, themselves garnering repeat invitations to Carnegie Hall.
Of the BSO’s most recent Carnegie Hall performance at the Spring for Music Festival, Classicate friend Tim Smith of The Baltimore Sun commented: “The BSO soared in the Prokofiev symphony, with a downright lush tone from the strings, crackling woodwinds, confident and smoothly balanced outpouring from the brass, tight percussion. Alsop again conducted not just from memory, but from the heart, bringing out its lyrical heart, not just its aggressive elements, all very persuasively.”
Furthermore, Marin Alsop has launched several progressive initiatives that have attracted national attention for the BSO as a leader in how a symphony orchestra can increase its relevance in the 21st century.
She has personally overseen the development of programs like OrchKids, the El Sistema-inspired music program for Baltimore youth that provides music lessons, tutoring and life enrichment opportunities for more than 600 children. She has capitalized on BSO audiences’ interest in direct, hands-on participation by developing side-by-side programs such as the BSO Academy and Rusty Musicians, which allow adult amateur musicians the chance to share the stage with the BSO's professional core.
These projects, which are first-of-a-kind programs in the U.S., have attracted the aesthetic attention and financial support of several national organizations, recognizing them as prototypes for the modern orchestral industry.
Maestra Alsop has even transcended the notion that an orchestra’s contribution to its community is limited only to performance. Last year, she co-curated the Baltimore incarnation of Women of the World (“WOW”)--a three-day festival celebrating the achievements of and the issues still facing women in today’s society.
Notable, too, is how these efforts have positively affected the BSO’s ticket sales and contributed income.
The season prior to Ms. Alsop’s arrival (2006-07), capacity averaged 58 percent at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and 77 percent at the Music Center at Strathmore. In the most recent season (2012-13), capacity is up to 70 percent at the Meyerhoff, 80 percent at Strathmore.
And since Alsop’s inaugural season (2007-08), the number of financial contributions to the BSO has nearly doubled--no doubt inspired by the orchestra's expanding range of concert offerings and attractive programs for young people and families.
“Marin’s early tenure was remarkable for the dramatic way she revitalized this institution,” said BSO president and CEO Paul Meecham.
“On stage, the BSO-Alsop partnership quickly gelled to produce some electrifying performances that have galvanized the BSO’s audiences. Off the podium, her bold engagement initiatives have now had time to take root and create a lasting, meaningful impact in this community: OrchKids has grown exponentially to become a life-changing program for Baltimore City children; the BSO Academy annually attracts amateur musicians from around the world and has garnered international coverage; and Off the Cuff, in which she offers engaging commentary on selected masterworks, is among the BSO’s most popular series," Meecham said.
"[Alsop] is in-demand around the globe, and the BSO is proud that she has chosen to call Maryland home for another six years.”
For his part, BSO board chairman Ken DeFontes said, “Marin Alsop’s vision for how an orchestra can be relevant for a community has been the driving force to propel this organization forward. She is equally as comfortable conducting major repertoire on the stage of Carnegie Hall as she is connecting with the young musicians in the BSO’s OrchKids program, or engaging audiences in demystifying symphonic music. This multi-faceted competency is rare, and the BSO and the entire community are fortunate to have her at the helm through the organization’s centennial celebrations in 2016 and beyond.”
Of the appointment, Marin Alsop, herself, commented thusly:
“I am deeply grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for several more years. This orchestra’s artistic caliber coupled with their passion for music makes it my privilege to assume the podium each week. With the support of the BSO board and tireless staff, the orchestra and I have many accomplishments of which I am quite proud. But I am certainly not finished! I have more ideas to benefit this orchestra and community, and the BSO is my perfect partner towards realizing these goals.”
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