Longtime ESO administrator leaving for Florida

Michael Pastreich, an architect of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's ascension as one of the leading regional orchestras in the United States, has accepted an offer to become executive director of the Florida Orchestra, beginning Oct. 2

For Pastreich, who arrived in Elgin in 1996 and oversaw a growth in the ESO's operating budget of 224 percent to more than $3 million, it was a difficult decision, but one he felt was appropriate for family reasons and professional growth.

"My dozen years at Elgin have just been the best 12 years of my life. I have loved every moment I have been here," Pastreich said. "The board is a group of really smart people who ask tons of questions ... and they're willing to take risks and have really made sure that this orchestra has thrived and will continue to make sure it thrives."

In addition to accepting the challenge of running one of the top 20 orchestras in the United States (which serves the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater) Pastreich said personal considerations were a factor.

"My wife's family has moved to Florida, her parents live in Sarasota, my brother lives in Orlando, and a couple of years ago my wife said, ‘There must be an orchestra in Tampa, and I want you to go there.'

"So that's really why I took the interview to start with. But once I got down there, I saw that it was an orchestra with huge potential," Pastreich said. "It's the largest orchestra in the state, and they play phenomenally."

ESO music director Robert Hanson feels he was very lucky to have Pastreich as a colleague as long as he did.

"I'm actually surprised he stayed so long," Hanson said. "When we originally hired him, the board and I thought we'd be lucky to keep him three to five years. He was the perfect combination of a great administrator and a person who understood the orchestra's artistic mission."

Hanson also feels a personal loss.

"Michael not only was a great manager of the orchestra, but he is also a very, very close friend," Hanson said. "It's an emotional time for me, really, as for him."

Hanson praised Pastreich's unwavering support of the musical side of the business.

"Michael is a manager who really understands the core purpose of our organization, which is creating the greatest classical music we can create," Hanson said. "He was relentless in pursuing that vision, so if I asked for something that was right in that core, I almost always got it."

Hanson added that the ESO's Classic Series is "the capstone of our operation," and that Pastreich oversaw the growth of the number of classical concert weekends to eight, accompanied by a subscriber growth of 95 percent, with overall ticket sales (including pops and holiday concerts) increasing 230 percent.

ESO board Chairman Tom Roeser said he'll meet with the board's executive committee to determine whether they'll look for someone similar to Pastreich or someone with a different skill set.

"Michael has been over the last 12 years instrumental in making the Elgin Symphony both strong and of very high quality," Roeser said. "What he leaves behind is staff and infrastructure that relies on no one person, but is a vibrant organization that is poised for continued improvement in the quality of the music and the ability of the organization."

Pastreich also believes he is leaving the ESO in excellent hands.

"I feel with Bob on the artistic side, along with the staff we have right now are really extraordinary," he said. "The board leadership we have is also very strong. We're an organization with a long history of managing itself well, long before I got here, and there's no question whatsoever in my mind that it will go on long after I'm forgotten."