“Utah gets to keep Thierry Fischer for a little bit longer. The Utah Symphony music director has extended his contract through August 2023,” writes Lottie Elizabeth Johnson in Monday’s (10/12) Deseret News (UT). Fischer had announced in 2019 that he would step down at the end of the 2021-22 season. “ ‘With so much uncertainty in the future, it is a natural gesture for me to help provide the orchestra and its board with much needed stability … to assist the organization through these challenging times and give them the time necessary to run the search for my successor,’ Fischer said in a statement.… The symphony’s home at Abravanel Hall shut down in mid-March… The symphony returned in September … with a number of safety precautions in place…. The pandemic has also prolonged the search for a new music director. Earlier this year, Fischer was named music director of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and the conductor will now be splitting his time between Brazil and Utah…. Steven Brosvik, Utah Symphony and Utah Opera’s recently appointed president and CEO, expressed gratitude to Fischer for extending his contract and said there is ‘great music yet ahead for all of us.’ ”
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