Minnesota Orchestra mourns former chief
mainThe capable Richard Cisek, who was president of the Minnesota up to 1992, has died at the age of 92.
He joined the orchestra in 1958 as publicity director. In 1960, he became assistant manager, and in 1964 general manager. In 1978, he was named president and chief executive officer.
Dick was one of the most remarkable and talented beings in our profession. Always soft-spoken but firm, he was a model of how an orchestra administrator should be. He was revered by his colleagues and respected by the musicians. One cannot ask for higher praise. A great loss, indeed.
A wonderful person. I got to know him when he was doing executive searches for orchestras and he interviewed me for a position. RIP, Dick Cisek
Dick was a mentor to me, Peter Smith, Mark Volpe, Bob Jones, David Wax and many others . I have known him since 1966 and did get to visit him in these last few months. His career was a fine one and he, like Steve Monder in Cincinnati, was different from most of us in that he stayed with one organization for all of his years in the field. After retirement from the Minnesota Orchestra, he did consulting work and was on the League of American Orchestras Board of Directors. Great loss both as a colleague and a friend.
Legend.
A great manager and a true gentleman. Through his passion for the art form, his humility, his dedication to the field, musicians and audiences of all ages, millions of people over the decades have benefited from the joys of classical music. Thank you. RIP.