Five Hopefuls Will Conduct in Long Beach

Five candidates for the post of music director of the Long Beach Symphony will lead the orchestra in its 1988-89 season, the orchestra’s management announced Thursday.

These conductors--Paul Polivnick, David Alan Miller, Kenneth Kiesler, Jon Robertson and JoAnn Falletta--were chosen from a field of 250 applicants by a search committee of musicians and arts and community leaders from the greater Los Angeles area.

Under the chairmanship of Margie Masterson, the 13-member committee--which includes veteran clarinetist and teacher Mitchell Lurie; Larry Livingston, dean of the USC School of Music; broadcaster Gail Eichenthal, and three members of the orchestra--has spent the last six months reviewing resumes, repertory and programming, observing applicants in performances and rehearsals and meeting the applicants.

At the end of the coming season, Masterson said, the search committee will make recommendations to the board of directors of the orchestra. The post of music director became open in October, when the board failed to renew the contract of Murry Sidlin, conductor of the Long Beach Symphony since 1980.

The season, as announced Thursday, to be performed in Terrace Theatre at the Long Beach Convention Center:

Sept. 24: Paul Polivnick, conductor; Mark Peskanov, violin. Russell Peck: “Peace” Overture. Lalo: “Symphonie Espagnole.” Beethoven: Symphony No. 7.

Nov. 5: David Alan Miller, conductor; Pepe Romero, guitar. Michael Torke: “Black and White” (world premiere). Rodrigo: “Concierto de Aranjuez.” Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4.

Jan. 14: Kenneth Kiesler, conductor; Joseph Kalichstein, piano. Steven Stuckey: “Transparent Things.” Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5.

Feb. 11: Jon Robertson, conductor; Jaime Laredo, violin. R. Strauss: “Don Juan.” Bartok: Violin Concerto. Dvorak: Symphony No. 7.

April 8: JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Andre-Michel Schub, piano. Ibert: “Escales.” Mozart: Piano Concerto in C, K. 467. Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra.