Long Beach Symphony Ends Its Quest for Music Director

After a 2 1/2-year search, the Long Beach Symphony has signed Enrique Arturo Diemecke to a three-year contract as music director. He will succeed JoAnn Falletta, who assumed that job in 1989.

“My style is to bring enthusiasm to musicians--and the response in Long Beach was immediate,” said Diemecke. “I’m there to make people enjoy. The challenge is bringing classical music to all sectors of society in such a multicultural city.”

For the past decade, Diemecke, 41, has been music director and principal conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Mexico, as well as Michigan’s Flint Symphony Orchestra--positions he will continue to hold. He has guest-conducted widely in South and Central America, in France and the U.S., including performances with orchestras in Houston, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Pacific Symphony. Reviewers have called him colorful and charismatic, drawing comparisons to the young Leonard Bernstein.

An 11-member steering committee reviewed more than 200 applicants before narrowing the field down to five. The finalists each conducted a concert at Long Beach during the 2000-01 season and were evaluated by audience surveys. The candidates also met with a variety of groups ranging from musicians to donors.

“A music director is not just a conductor but the leader of an institution,” said Long Beach Symphony Orchestra executive director Jack Fishman. “How they relate to the community is almost as important as how they wave their hands. Onstage and off, Enrique’s strength is communication.”

The Mexican-born Diemecke was raised by parents of German descent, both of whom were classical musicians. He took up the violin at age 6 and went on to study French horn, piano and percussion. A proponent of Mexican music, Diemecke has made several successful recordings for Sony Music.

Falletta will conduct two final concerts of the symphony’s 66th season on May 19 and June 16. Diemecke will officially assume his post July 1; his first performance will be the orchestra’s 2001-02 season.