CLASSICAL MUSIC : S.D. Symphony Courts Mainly Europeans for Conductor Post

While San Diego Symphony executive director Wesley Brustad is understandably reluctant to reveal the names of the 10 conductors in the running for the orchestra’s vacant music director post, it appears that few Americans are in the running.

At Wednesday’s press conference to announce the 1988-89 subscription season, Brustad stated that some of next season’s guest conductors would be under consideration for the position by the symphony management and players.

“We’re inviting them to come and work with the orchestra,” explained Brustad. “We’ll distribute evaluation sheets after each performance for everyone involved to fill out.”

Brustad added that this sort of audition is a reciprocal process, allowing a candidate to evaluate the orchestra and test the chemistry between conductor and players.

But where are the American conductors on next year’s schedule? On the Ovation and Encore series, the 17 weeks of the orchestra’s serious, classical programming, the sole American conductor is Robert Shaw, about to become music director emeritus of the Atlanta Symphony.

Ironically, this elder statesman of American conductors got his orchestral start with the San Diego Symphony in 1953. Thirty-five years later, the outlook is less than hopeful for another promising young American conductor to have such an opportunity.

At the press conference, Brustad said there are American names on the list but that all of the Americans he and his artistic advisory committee are considering are too booked to conduct here next season.

It seems evident that Brustad is cultivating the Europeans. Next season, six Germans, three Russians and an Italian, a British, a Dutch, and an Israeli conductor will visit Symphony Hall. But no Americans.

Brustad boasted that he and Dr. Warren Kessler of the artistic advisory committee had recently made a whirlwind European trip to observe candidates in action.

“In 13 days we heard 10 conductors in 8 countries,” said Brustad.

Let’s hope some of them were American conductors who are working in Europe--and there are many, largely because American symphony administrators are reluctant to appoint them to primary conducting posts in their native country.