Maestro move (1): Kiwis land big-name conductor

He used to be talked of as the next music director of the Concertgebouw and the Boston Symphony. Now, it’s all going south.

As of March 2016, Edo de Waart will be music director of the world’s most remote concert organisation, the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.

Edo, 74, has been music director successively of the San Francisco Symphony, the Minnesota Orch and the Sydeny Symphony. He has usually held two or three jobs at once. He is presently music director in Milwaukee and at the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, both of which will end in 2016-17.

In New Zealand he has an opportunity to leave a real legacy. He is by far the highest calibre conductor they have landed.

More maestro moves shortly.

press release:

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra is delighted to announce that esteemed Dutch conductor Edo de Waart will assume the role ofNZSO Music Director from 2016.

NZSO Chief Executive, Christopher Blake says: “Maestro Edo de Waart is a well regarded and acclaimed conductor working at the highest level internationally. He has a prolific and illustrious conducting career spanning five decades and he has worked with some of the world’s leading orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw, Berlin Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

“The NZSO is delighted to begin its exciting new artistic relationship with Maestro de Waart and be part of his enduring contribution to the world of music making. We look forward to presenting more exhilarating orchestral music under his distinguished leadership in future Seasons.”

Edo de Waart will begin his tenure with the NZSO next March when he conducts Mahler’s masterwork Symphony No. 3. He will then take Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’ and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 on his inaugural tour as Music Director to eight centres around the country. Concertgoers can expect to hear some of the world’s most compelling orchestral works by composers such as Beethoven, Mahler, Mozart and Strauss in future NZSO Seasons, hand-picked from de Waart’s extensive repertoire.

Edo de Waart is currently Chief Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Music Director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Conductor Laureate of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. He has previously been Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Sydney Symphony and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also Chief Conductor of De Nederlandse Opera.

Maestro Edo de Waart says: “I am delighted to deepen my artistic relationship with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra – an orchestra I have come to know well over the years. We share a common bond – a mutual love and respect for excellent music-making and a desire to share this spirit with all New Zealanders. We want to give New Zealanders the opportunity to have unforgettable musical experiences.”