“Robert Stickler, who steered the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra back into smoother waters over the last three seasons, has told his board of directors he would like to retire as president before the end of the upcoming season,” reports Lawrence Toppman in Saturday’s (8/29) Charlotte Observer (North Carolina). “ ‘It’s an intense job,’ says the man who has held it—always with the understanding that he wouldn’t stay long—since the summer of 2012. ‘Marsha and I would like to throw our golf clubs in a bag and travel, and I can’t really do that now.’ Stickler, who’ll turn 65 in March, became interim executive director in 2012 after the departure of Jonathan Martin, then took the job on a formal basis a year later. Since then, the CSO has put together its first back-to-back seasons in the black since 2001-2002. … Brian Cromwell, chairman of the board, has begun to convene a search committee with Chris Teat, who’ll take over Cromwell’s position in July 2016. … Cromwell noted that the musicians negotiated a three-year contract last season, music director Christopher Warren-Green has signed on for another three years, the quality of players has risen under his baton, and the board has a leadership succession plan in place.”
Posted September 1, 2015
