Conductor search reaches finale
LOREN BENOIT/Press John Bottelli plays the chello during dress rehearsal Wednesday night for Coeur d’Alene Symphony’s “Voyage of Discovery” concerts this weekend.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Coeur d’Alene Symphony guest conductor Jan Pellant will be conducting the “Discover a New World” season finale in the Kroc Center this weekend as the symphony looks to find a new artistic director after the departure of David Demand.
COEUR d’ALENE — Although the conductor search is ending, the Coeur d'Alene Symphony Orchestra is about to open a new chapter in its nearly 40-year history.
"It is super exciting. I've seen so much growth in this group over the last couple years with having the conductors really pushing us," CSO board chair Merilee Updike said Tuesday. "I see such a bright future for us. It's beyond words how excited I am for the future of this group, so many wonderful things could happen for us with a different person at the helm."
The CSO switched gears with each concert this season as new artistic director candidates stepped into the role of conductor after the departure of David Demand. Demand led the Symphony for 15 years and announced his resignation two seasons ago.
"He had done a great job for years, but he let us know he was stepping down to do other stuff," said board member John Bottelli, who helmed the conductor search committee.
This season was dubbed "Voyage of Discovery," with each concert structured around a theme of discovery as the Symphony proceeded to discover its new leader.
"David did some fantastic things with this group," Updike said. "But there’s no letdown that it’s over, it’s just the beginning of another wonderful run. I see us making huge strides again with a completely different personality."
In the 2017-2018 season, several guest conductors worked their musical magic with the Symphony: Danh Pham, of Pullman; Barry Kolman, of New York City; Pierre-Alain Chevalier, of Houston; Jorge Luis Uzcategui, of Spokane; and Jan Pellant, of Lexington, Ky., who will be conducting the "Discover a New World" season finale in the Kroc Center this weekend.
Pellant has been the music director of the Lexington Chamber Orchestra since 2015. He has conducted the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, Talich Chamber Orchestra, Pavel Haas Chamber Orchestra, Vidin Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Bethel Park Orchestra and Orchestra Enigmatic as well as orchestras in Thailand, Japan and the United States.
"I was so thrilled the board decided to have a formal search and that it had such a broad range of applicants," Bottelli said. "I'm feeling very optimistic about the Coeur d'Alene Symphony.
"Our previous conductor really took the orchestra to another level and I think whoever we hire will continue to take the orchestra to new levels."
Bottelli said the CSO is hoping to announce the new conductor this summer, well in advance of the start of next season.
The "Season Finale: Discover a New World" concerts will be at 7:30 tonight and 2 p.m. Saturday in the Kroc Center, 1765 W. Golf Course Road in Coeur d'Alene.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors 65 and older and $10 for children and students with ID.
Info: www.cdasymphony.org