Chicago Symphony Orchestra Comments on Kennedy Center Appointment

The CSO is pleased to offer these remarks as part of the announcement released today (www.kennedy-center.org/rutter) that Deborah F. Rutter, the President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association, has been appointed President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., effective September 1, 2014.

Maestro Riccardo Muti, Music Director of the CSO since 2010

"What Deborah has done in Chicago speaks of her strong commitment to the great importance of the arts and culture. I am happy that in this new position she will be able to share her deep love for music and the arts with the entire country. With friendship and respect, I offer all my best wishes knowing, from what she has accomplished in Chicago, that she will be very successful. The Kennedy Center will be an even stronger institution because of Deborah's leadership."

Jay Henderson, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association

"We congratulate Deborah Rutter on her appointment as the President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Deborah has provided outstanding leadership to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra over the past ten years, and we thank her for her significant contributions. We are pleased that Deborah will continue to lead the CSO during the transition period to ensure a smooth and successful leadership succession process.

"The Board has already begun the preparatory work associated with the search process for her successor, and we will share further details as the search process unfolds. I am confident that our international stature as an Orchestra will help us find a great successor who can lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association in its next chapter.

"We were thrilled when Deborah became our President in 2003, and her leadership over the last ten years leaves us in a very strong position, providing a solid foundation for the next President. We have a clear strategic plan for the CSO that we are executing for the future. As we announced in October (bit.ly/CSOPRfy13), the most recently-ended season, the 2012/13 season, marked continued progress toward our long-term goals for the organization. This progress included the CSOA's third consecutive year of record-breaking fundraising, with ticket sales at an all-time high. This is a strong platform to build on, and one that will help us maintain our success in the years ahead.

"We know that Deborah will be very successful in her new role at the Kennedy Center, as she has been at the CSO. We are confident that Deborah will continue her great leadership and commitment to advancing the role of art and culture across the U.S."

Deborah F. Rutter, President of the CSOA since 2003

"Since arriving at the CSO in 2003, I have come to love this city and its people, to deepen what was already a profound respect for the artistry of our orchestra, and to revel in the miracle that is the citizenry and generosity of the patrons of greater Chicago.

It has been a privilege to see the CSO rise to new heights of artistic excellence and service to others through music. I am honored to know and to have worked side by side with our treasured music director, Maestro Riccardo Muti, and with our very special creative consultant, Yo-Yo Ma, over the last four years. Additionally, I extend my gratitude to Pierre Boulez and Bernard Haitink for their care and counsel throughout my time at the CSO. I will always be grateful for the opportunity I have had to grow and stretch with each of my colleagues here-conductors, musicians, board and staff members, volunteers, donors, patrons, and community partners.

"I leave Chicago for Washington, D.C. with a full heart and streams of tears for the memories and great friends that I will miss seeing daily. As I anticipate the change I hope to make in the next chapter of my career-to advance the importance of culture and the role it can play in our country-I know that I am better prepared to do so because of all that I have learned from all of my colleagues here."

About the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (cso.org)
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is consistently hailed as one of the greatest orchestras in the world. Its music director since 2010 is Riccardo Muti, one of the preeminent conductors of our day. The venerable Pierre Boulez is the CSO's Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus; celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma is the CSO's Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant. Composers Mason Bates and Anna Clyne are the CSO's Mead Composers-in-Residence.

The renowned musicians of the CSO annually perform more than 150 concerts, most at Symphony Center in downtown Chicago and, in the summer, at the suburban Ravinia Festival. The CSO also appears in other U.S. cities, and frequently tours internationally. Since its founding in 1891, the Orchestra has made 56 international tours, visiting 28 countries on five continents. At home and on tour, tickets are always in high demand and frequently sold out; occasional performances and rehearsals are free.

People around the globe enjoy the extraordinary sounds of the Orchestra and the Chorus through CSO Radio broadcasts and webcasts worldwide and through CSO Resound, a best-selling record label. Recordings by the CSO have won 62 Grammy Awards®. Through its Institute for Learning, Access, and Training, the CSO offers a variety of youth, community and education programs, all of which are based on the concept of Citizen Musicianship, using and promoting the power of music to contribute to our culture, our communities, and the lives of others.

The parent organization for the CSO is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA). It also includes the acclaimed Chicago Symphony Chorus, conducted by Duain Wolfe, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, a training ensemble conducted by Cliff Colnot. Under the banner of a series entitled Symphony Center Presents, the CSOA also presents prestigious guest artists and ensembles from a variety of musical genres-classical, jazz, pop, world, and contemporary. Deborah F. Rutter, a highly regarded arts executive, is president of the CSOA.

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