Changes: Marin Alsop Stepping Down From Cabrillo Festival

From the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music:

SANTA CRUZ, CA - September 17, 2015 - Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music announced today that Maestra Marin Alsop will step down from her role as Music Director and Conductor in August 2016, following her 25th anniversary season. The Cabrillo Festival's 54th season runs August 5-13, 2016 in Santa Cruz, CA.

America's longest running festival dedicated to new music for orchestra, the Cabrillo Festival is a preeminent force in new music, both nationally and internationally. Celebrated as a "summer mecca for musicians and a premier musical destination for audiences," (San Jose Mercury News) the Festival attracts some of the world's top contemporary composers whose compositions are shared with an award-winning orchestra and an enthusiastic audience.

Long-time Executive Director Ellen Primack and the Cabrillo Festival Board of Directors have initiated a strategic process to identify new artistic leadership. 

"It is with great sadness and after much contemplation that I make this decision but I believe this is the right time for me and for the Festival," said Alsop. "I look forward to the 2016 season when we'll celebrate all that we have accomplished together. This Festival has always been about the new and is championed by audiences and musicians who embrace a sense of discovery and risk and so I am confident and excited about what the future holds for this extraordinary institution."

I think this is good; the programming there was better this year than for the last few, but it has seemed stuck in a particular rut and this may shake it loose.