Press Room

On Monday, May 5, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association—with the unanimous approval from its Board of Trustees and overwhelming support from the musicians of the CSO—appointed world-renowned conductor Riccardo Muti as its 10th music director. Maestro Muti will begin a five-year contract as music director in September of the 2010/11 season. He will conduct a minimum of 10 weeks of CSO subscription concerts each season, in addition to domestic and international tours.

On June 1 and 2, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra welcomed its newly appointed music director, Riccardo Muti, to Chicago. Maestro Muti was appointed the Orchestra’s tenth music director on May 5, in an announcement that was celebrated worldwide. In the span of just over 25 hours in the city, the maestro was honored at a special event at the Peninsula Hotel with trustees and the Music Director Search Committee; met with the full staff of the CSO Association; was reunited with the CSO musicians at an intimate private lunch; and gave a number of one-on-one interviews to local and international media.

In addition, Maestro Muti held a press conference with over 100 reporters, camera crews, and cultural and civic leaders from the city in attendance. Greeted with roaring applause and introduced with enthusiastic words from Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association; William A. Osborn, chairman of the Board; and Stephen Lester, CSO bassist and chair of the Orchestra Members Committee, the Maestro spoke to the crowd and answered questions. He offered insightful remarks on the excellence of the Chicago Symphony, programming contemporary orchestral music, and his plans for reaching out into the community and the people of Chicago. During the Q&A, the press’s questions ranged from “What’s on your iPod?” and “What are the goals you hope to achieve in Chicago?” to thoughts on the conductor’s noteworthy 19-year tenure as music director at La Scala and addressing concert audiences from the podium.