Elgin symphony music director Andrew Grams leaving next year
Andrew Grams, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor who for six years has charmed audiences with his knack for making classical music approachable, announced he will leave at the end of the 2020-21 season.
"After enjoying the privilege of being the Elgin Symphony Orchestra's music director for seven extraordinary seasons of music-making, I make this decision proud of the work we've done to raise the level of the orchestra and all we have achieved in making the connection to the community it serves even stronger," Grams said in a news release Thursday.
"Thanks to these accomplishments, I have discovered in myself a passion for teaching and sharing music in different ways and I now seek to open time in my diary to allow me to pursue more of this kind of work."
Grams was hired in 2014 in Elgin and has conducted concerts ranging from traditional masterworks to holiday singalongs and the best of John Williams. Grams' contract ends in 2021.
"We are deeply grateful for the considerable time, artistry and enthusiasm that Maestro Grams has devoted to the ESO and to our community of supporters," said Erik Malmquist, the orchestra's director of artistic planning and operations. "His vibrant energy and positive spirit will be missed by musicians and audiences alike."
A committee of ESO musicians, staff members, board members and members of the greater Elgin community will be in charge of conducting a replacement search. The search will likely officially launch in about a month or so, once the committee is done defining the parameters, said Ashley Schoen, senior director of marketing for ESO.
The orchestra will announce the lineup for the 2020-21 season this weekend, Schoen said. Grams will conduct the opening and closing concerts, with guest conductors for the rest, she said.
"I sincerely hope to be able to assist in attracting music director candidates to continue the work I have begun. Of course I intend to maintain a close relationship with the ESO and to continue to serve this great community well into the future," Grams said.
Founded in 1950, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra was named "orchestra of the year" four times, most recently in 2016, by the Illinois Council of Orchestras.