The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which has a history of attracting top conductors such as Fritz Reiner and Leopold Stokowski, announced Wednesday that Cristian Maceral, a Romanian-born maestro who has championed music education, will be named its next music director. Announced.
Maceral, 44, will begin a four-year term as music director in Cincinnati in the 2025-26 season and will be named music director in September, the ensemble said. Mr. Macellar, who has conducted both the Orchester National de France and the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, Germany, and holds prestigious posts in Europe, will be joined by veteran conductor Louis Lenglet, who has been the ensemble's leader since 2013. He will be his successor.
Maceral said he saw potential in the orchestra and the community.
“This was the only orchestra in America that I really wanted to be with,” he said in a phone interview from China. He led a tour with the WDR Symphony Orchestra in China.
Maceral said he often speaks about making classical music available to a broader audience and wants to help expand music education efforts in Cincinnati.
“I feel very sorry to see so many orchestras and colleagues who feel that the music should speak for itself,” he said. “We have to tell people why this music is so beautiful and how they can discover even more beauty in it. I've been doing this all my life. And now with this message: I feel like I have a clearer, more visible platform to spread the word.”
Jonathan Martin, president and CEO of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, said in an interview that the orchestra's leadership recognized not only Maceral's conducting talent, but also his desire to help expand the orchestra's presence in the community. He said he was also impressed.
“He has a unique ability to unleash the power of music and bring it to audiences,” Martin said. “He understands that America's community orchestras have the power to serve us far better than we ever could.”
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, like many orchestras, is working to recover from the setbacks caused by the pandemic. Attendance at concerts remains below pre-pandemic levels, at about 66% this season compared to 78% in the 2018-19 season, but is gradually increasing. Following the national trend, the number of subscribers is decreasing, from 5,380 subscribers in the 2018-19 season to 3,901 subscribers this season.
But the orchestra, founded in 1895, has a solid endowment of about $358 million, which is relatively large for an ensemble of its size, and has several other advantages. Fundraising is strong, the number of performances is increasing, and the budget has increased significantly. His salary increased from about $31 million in the 2018-19 season to about $38 million this season.
Macerar was born in Timisoara, Romania, the youngest of 10 children, and grew up playing the violin. While his father worked in a factory, he conducted the local church orchestra on the side. He made sure all his children practiced their instruments every day.
At the age of 17, Maceral came to the United States to attend the Interlochen Academy of Arts in Michigan. Early in his career, he focused on the violin, serving as concertmaster of the Miami Symphony Orchestra and also performing with the Houston Symphony Orchestra.
However, he was drawn to conducting and became Philadelphia's assistant conductor in 2011. He soon won the top post and began working in Cologne in 2019, and with the Orchester National de France the following year.
Maceral, who became an American citizen in 2019, plans to split his time between Paris and Cincinnati. His term with the WDR Symphony Orchestra ends next year.
He said he would work to refine the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's sound and praised the musicians' versatility.
“They wear so many hats when they perform in opera, ballet, pop and symphonic repertoire,” he says. “The next challenge with them is to create a palette of sounds.”