“The Memphis Symphony Orchestra announced Saturday night that principal conductor Robert Moody has been hired as music director,” writes Mark Richens in Saturday’s (3/25) Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.). “Moody, 49, who has been serving as conductor on an interim basis since October 2015, has signed a six-year contract to serve as the MSO’s fifth music director, starting with the 2017-18 season…. The Greenville, S.C., native’s long association with the Memphis Symphony … dates to a guest-conducting gig … in 2005.… After his predecessor, Mei-Ann Chen, announced in 2015 that she was leaving, Moody was the popular choice among the musicians to take over…. ‘Having Moody for six years as we execute our six-year business plan, which takes us into the black within that time frame, is critical,’ said George Monger, the symphony’s chief operating officer.’ ” Moody’s plans for Memphis include more pops concerts and performances in communities throughout the Mid-South, and building up the orchestra’s partnership with the University of Memphis. Said French horn player Robert Patterson, chairman of the orchestra’s musicians committee, “I think he gets it, being from the South—he’s going to be able to key in to what makes Memphis, Memphis.”
Posted March 28, 2017
Robert Moody photo by Yalonda M. James / The Commercial Appeal
