It looks like he’ll be with us for quite a while. Today the Cleveland Orchestra officially announced that it has extended the contract of music director Franz Welser-Möst for another four years. His current contract ran through the 2017-2018 season, but with the extension he is now locked in through the 2021-2022 season. At the end of that time, he would have served for 20 seasons, making his tenure the second longest in the position after George Szell, who served for 24 years until his death in 1970.
Under his leadership, the orchestra has made aggressive efforts to expand its audience beyond its wealthy, elderly base. That includes programs and performances in the Cleveland public schools, two neighborhood residencies in Detroit-Shoreway and Lakewood, a series of Friday evenings featuring after-concert performances by musicians in non-classical genres geared at a younger audience, and a “Summers at Severance” series in August that brought the orchestra back from its summer home at Blossom Music Center for three performances.
Under Mr. Welser-Möst, the Orchestra has established a biennial residency in Vienna as well as an annual one in Florida, and has continued to tour the U.S. and Europe regularly.
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Photo by Roger Mastroianni