For the second time in eight years, the Colorado Symphony is in the hunt for a music director — the person who serves as its chief conductor, artistic visionary and community face.
In 2001, when it began its last search in earnest, the orchestra had the daunting task of replacing Marin Alsop, whose career had skyrocketed during her 10-year tenure.
It hit the jackpot by selecting Jeffrey Kahane, a prominent pianist and music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He has been a hit with orchestra musicians and audiences since taking over the post in 2005.
But in July 2008, Kahane said he wanted to devote more time to the piano — his first love — and he revealed plans to cut short his time with the orchestra and step down at the end of the 2009-10 season.
Thus, the orchestra is faced with another search. And given its success with its last two picks, the pressure is even more intense to find a music director who can live up to their accomplishments.
Adding to that pressure is the orchestra’s continuing improvement, which demands a conductor who is equal to its standing and capable of taking the ensemble even further.
Like last time, the search committee (a mix of 10-15 musicians, staff, board members and community representatives) is conducting its business in secret. The orchestra will not announce the names of any candidates or even detail the qualities it is seeking, said James Palermo, president and chief executive.
“We’re trying to be very, very discreet about the process,” he said. “We don’t want to talk about it publicly, because the kind of people we’re interested in don’t want lots of speculation about their role with the symphony.”
Palermo did say that the person chosen will be someone who has conducted the orchestra, and he made it clear that some of the visiting maestros who appeared during the 2008-09 season and others coming up in 2009-10 or later might be considered.
“Anybody who resonates with the audience and does a great concert is someone we will probably take notice of,” he said in an April interview.
As for exactly who those conductors might be, we can only speculate. The most obvious candidate for Kahane’s replacement is already on the orchestra’s staff — Douglas Boyd, 50, who took over as principal guest conductor last season.
Boyd, principal oboist of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe for 21 years, gave up the instrument three years ago to devote himself to the baton. Besides a burgeoning guest- conducting schedule, the Scottish maestro holds several posts, including music director of the Manchester Camerata.
He established an immediate rapport in December 2006 with the orchestra during his first appearance with the Colorado Symphony and was named principal guest conductor in January 2008.
Since then, his bond with the orchestra has grown so close that he even agreed to lead the orchestra’s two “Mozart Under Moonlight” concerts this summer at the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities — a strong sign of his willingess to engage in the community outreach that is so necessary as music director.
In choosing a new leader, orchestras tend to pick conductors who offer a contrast to their past music director. And, in this case, a switch from an American-born maestro to someone from abroad with a different background and approach offers that change.
Other possible candidates include James Gaffigan, Julian Kuerti and Edward Gardner, who are all appearing with the symphony in 2009-10.
Is it possible the orchestra might even make a play for Andrew Litton, who left the Dallas Symphony in 2006 and conducts regularly in Denver? He certainly has international standing and 28 recordings to his credit, but his tenure in Dallas got mixed reviews.
Palermo declined to provide any timeline for the search. The orchestra’s last such process took more than two years, so no one should expect an announcement of Kahane’s successor anytime soon.
Kyle MacMillan: 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com
The contenders: Four possible picks for the CSO
James Gaffigan
Age: 29
Just-completed post: Associate conductor, San Francisco Symphony, 2006-2009.
Guest-conducting engagements: Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra (Zurich)
Honors: First prize, Sir Georg Solti International Conducting Competition, 2004; American Academy of Conducting, Aspen Music Festival, 2000
First CSO appearance: May 15-17, 2008
Pros: Brimming with talent and infectious enthusiasm, he made a strong impression during his CSO debut last month. There is a definite youth movement on among American orchestras, so Gaffigan would fit that trend.
Cons: There is no question that he still lacks significant experience. If he came to the CSO, he would probably be conducting many works for the first time, learning as he goes.
Edward Gardner
Age: 34
Current post: Music director, English National Opera, 2007-present.
Guest-conducting engagements: Baltimore Symphony, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Chicago Lyric Opera (2010)
Honors: Royal Philharmonic Society Conductor Award, 2008.
CSO appearances: 2006, 2008 and Jan. 8-9, 2010
Pros: Gardner’s career is on a meteoric rise, with several impressive big-label recordings to his credit. He has had two strong outings with the orchestra, demonstrating a warm rapport with the audience.
Cons: Gardner has clearly emphasized opera so far in his career. How willing or able he would be to devote the necessary time to serving as an orchestral music director is open to question.
Julian Kuerti
Age: 32
Current post: Assistant conductor, Boston Symphony, 2007-present
Guest conducting engagements: National Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra
Honors: Conducting fellow, Tanglewood Music Festival, 2005; American Academy of Conducting, 2004
CSO debut: Dec. 2, 4 and 5
Pros: Kuerti, son of revered Canadian pianist Anton Kuerti, is clearly another of the North American classical world’s hot young conducting talents.
Cons: Like Gaffigan, he suffers from inexperience and would be something of a work-in-progress in the orchestra’s top artistic post.
Andrew Litton
Age: 50
Current posts: Music director, Bergen (Norway) Philharmic, 2003- present; artist director, Minnesota Orchestra’s Sommerfest, 2003- present
Guest conducting engagements: Royal Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony
Honors: Winner, BBC International Conductors Competition; honorary doctorate, University of Bournemouth
Next CSO appearance: April 2-3, 2010
Pros: Litton would bring international recognition and considerable experience with him to the CSO. His contacts with recording labels could also be an asset.
Cons: Litton met with mixed critical success during his 12-year tenure as music director of the Dallas Symphony and he has not been able to land a high-profile post since.
