St. Louis Symphony Announces Contract Extension with Music Director David Robertson Through 2015-2016

The St. Louis Symphony announced today the extension of David Robertson's contract as Music Director. Robertson, currently in his eighth season with the orchestra, will remain as Music Director in St. Louis through the 2015-2016 season.

"We are delighted that David will continue as St. Louis Symphony Music Director. He is recognized around the world for his virtuosity and musical integrity, and has helped elevate the profile of our Symphony during his time here in St. Louis," said Ned Lemkemeier, Chairman of the St. Louis Symphony Board of Trustees.

"The extension of David Robertson's contract is another critical piece of the St. Louis Symphony's continuing progress towards institutional strength and stability," said St. Louis Symphony President/CEO Fred Bronstein. "Like the early extension this past June of our collective bargaining agreement with our musicians through 2017, David's renewal and the tremendous energy and commitment he brings ensures that our artistic profile and landscape will continue to blossom both here in St. Louis and on the national and international stage. "

"I couldn't be more delighted to extend my relationship with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. This is a group of musicians whose qualities I find singular in the world. Their professional spirit, warmth, enthusiasm and love of sharing music's joy have made all of my time with them feel like a precious gift. I look forward to planning more exciting activities with them in St. Louis, around the country and around the world," said Robertson.

David Robertson began his tenure as the 12th Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony in the 2005-2006 season, and is currently in his eighth season. In September, 2012, Robertson led the St. Louis Symphony on a triumphant European tour, the Symphony's first international concerts since 1998. American and European critics and audiences cheered the concerts in London at the Proms, in Berlin's Philharmonie as part of the Berlin Festival, at Switzerland's Lucerne Festival and at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. After having led the St. Louis Symphony on a successful tour of California in 2010, David Robertson will bring the orchestra back to California for another multi-city tour in March of 2013, culminating in the 10th anniversary celebration of the Mondavi Center concert hall at the University of California -Davis. Since February, 2002, David Robertson has conducted the St. Louis Symphony in 10 concerts at Carnegie Hall and has recorded John Adams's Doctor Atomic Symphony, which is dedicated to David Robertson, for Nonesuch Records. That recording was recognized as the one of the best of the decade 2000-2010 by "The Times" of London. Twenty-eight current members of the St. Louis Symphony began their tenure under David Robertson.

In addition to his current position with the St. Louis Symphony, David Robertson is a regular guest conductor at major orchestras and opera houses around the world, including the Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony; the Israel Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Orchestra and Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; and the Metropolitan Opera and Milan's La Scala. In January, 2014, Robertson will become Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of Australia's Sydney Symphony Orchestra under an initial contract extending through December, 2018. David Robertson served as Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony in London between 2005 and 2012.

Robertson was educated at London's Royal Academy of Music, where he studied horn and composition before turning to orchestral conducting. He is the recipient of many awards and honors: In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, one of the most prestigious honorary societies in the United States, and that same year received the Excellence in the Arts award from the St. Louis Arts and Education Council. In 2011, the French government made Robertson a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

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