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David Robertson Signs With Symphony Through 2017-18

David Robertson conducting at Powell Hall.
Scott Ferguson

The St. Louis Symphonyhas announced that David Robertson’s contract as music director has been extended through the 2017-18 season. Robertson came to St. Louis in 2005.

Robertson said in a press release, “I’m delighted to extend my relationship with the St. Louis Symphony. The Symphony musicians’ extraordinary stylistic versatility, their passion and commitment to music making, and their basic human warmth make this a unique ensemble. I constantly feel enriched and inspired by them, whether on stage at Powell Hall, in concert halls around the world, or through their extensive community and education activities in St. Louis. The best relationships grow and deepen with time. I’m eager for the gifts of the years to come.”

Barry Beracha, who chairs the symphony board, noted that Robertson is known throughout the world for his “virtuosity and musical integrity.” As the release noted, he is a “regular guest conductor at major orchestras and opera houses around the world.” He is also chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Australia.

In recent years, Robertson has led the symphony at Carnegie Hall (2013, Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes) and on acclaimed tours in Europe (2012) and California (2010 and 2013). The orchestra’s 2009 recording of John Adams’ Doctor Atomic Symphony earned praise as the best CD of the decade 2000-2010 by the Times of London.

Read also:

Reflection: Symphony's 'Peter Grimes' triumphs at Carnegie Hall

Reflection: The tour ends, the glorious music plays on

Donna Korando started work in journalism at SIU’s Daily Egyptian in 1968. In between Carbondale and St. Louis Public Radio, she taught high school in Manitowoc, Wis., and worked at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She was the copy editor and letters editor for the editorial page from 1973-77. As an editorial writer from 1977-87, she covered Illinois and city politics, education, agriculture, family issues and sub-Saharan Africa. When she was editor of the Commentary Page from 1987-2003, the page won several awards from the Association of Opinion Page Editors. From 2003-07, she headed the features copy desk.