Boston Symphony Orchestra extends music director’s contract
By Associated Press | August 3, 2015, 18:58 EDT
AP Photo/Steven Senne BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Symphony Orchestra said Monday it was extending the contract of Andris Nelsons, who last year became the orchestra’s youngest conductor in a century.
The new eight-year contract with Nelsons will run through 2022, the orchestra announced. It replaces the original five-year deal that began in September. The new deal also includes an evergreen clause that reflects a “mutual desire for a long-term commitment” that could keep Nelsons in Boston beyond 2022.
“This is a significant opportunity for me and the orchestra to work together on deeper levels, artistically and musically,” Nelsons said in a statement. “And it is particularly through this kind of closeness in our work together that we will be able to go much further in our growth, in the hope to realize inspirational performances and embrace new audiences with wonderful music.”
The 36-year-old Latvian-born Nelsons served as music director of the Latvian National Opera and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in England before taking the post with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He has quickly become a sought-after conductor and has made regular guest appearances with prominent ensembles in Europe and the U.S, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
His name has often been tied to speculation about top posts at other orchestras around the world.
“After a wonderfully successful first year as music director, it is clear that the BSO under Andris Nelsons’ leadership is poised to experience another thrilling period in its 134-year storied history,” said Mark Volpe, the orchestra’s managing director.
Nelsons this month is leading the orchestra in six programs at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts, including a performance and webcast of Mahler’s No. 8 Symphony on Aug. 8.
The orchestra is scheduled to embark on a 12-concert, eight-city European tour, his first as music director, beginning Aug. 22. Stops will include Austria, England, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
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