“Brett Mitchell says his looming departure from his role as the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra’s music director is a time of celebration, not hand-wringing,” writes Sue White on Sunday (3/1) at MLive.com (Michigan). Mitchell has been music director of the orchestra since 2010; his final concert with the full orchestra, “Brett Mitchell: The Grand Finale,” is set for March 14 at the Temple Theatre and will be followed by a farewell reception. “ ‘Where did the years go?’ said Mitchell, also assistant conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra and music director of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.… ‘He raised the level of musicians auditioning with us and the expertise of all,’ [Chief Executive Officer Dan] McGee said.… ‘As we go into our 80th anniversary, I’m telling people that 80 is the new 30…. Under Mitchell, we’ve brought down our average age.’ … Many things factored into Mitchell’s decision to resign, a move that was 100 percent his choice, he added. But he drew on the words of an early mentor in particular who said all conductors have a time stamp and it’s best to leave a day before it runs out. ‘I came with very specific goals in mind and I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished,’ he said.”
Posted March 3, 2015
