James Conlon
Photo: Robert Millard
James Conlon, music director of Ravinia Festival since 2005, announced that 2015 will be his final season. Conlon has offered a one-year extension on his current contract that was due to expire at the end of this season, said Ravinia President and CEO Welz Kauffman. Conlon and Kauffman have shaped the 2015 season as a celebration of Conlon’s long association with Ravinia, where he has been regular guest conductor since 1977.
“At the conclusion of another wonderful summer season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Ravinia, I have chosen to make the 2015 season my last as music director,” Conlon said. “I am grateful to Welz Kauffman, who graciously understood and accepted my decision, and will arrange for a smooth transition. Everything has its time, and after 11 years I feel it is the moment to pass on this responsibility. This has been a difficult decision. The work at Ravinia is very meaningful to me, and the CSO is a supreme orchestra. »
