“The Cleveland Orchestra is in the market for a new principal horn,” writes Zachary Lewis in Monday’s (11/17) Plain Dealer (Cleveland). “No, Richard King isn’t leaving. Rather, the longtime top brass is abdicating his throne for the fourth-chair seat, creating a vacancy at the principal level for the first time in 17 years.” In a phone interview from Virginia, where he was appearing as a soloist with the Richmond Symphony, King commented, “ ‘There’s never really an easy concert. It’s time to let someone else have a chance at it.’ As King, 46, observed, the job of principal horn is keenly demanding.… ‘We really try to put the music first, and I think I’ve done that. I’m very proud of my tenure.’ King, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, came to Cleveland as associate principal in 1988, at age 20. Nine years later, he was appointed principal, succeeding Richard Solis.… King will remain principal through the current Severance Hall season and 2015 Blossom Festival. After that, pending his appointment to the position, he will switch to fourth chair, where he intends to remain for the foreseeable future. Auditions for his replacement already have been scheduled and announced.”
Posted November 19, 2014
