Boston Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Chad Smith has publicly elaborated on the board’s decision not to renew the contract of music director Andris Nelsons, saying the two sides were no longer aligned on the institution’s long-term strategic direction.
In his first broadcast interview since the announcement in March, Smith told GBH News’ The Culture Show that the decision stemmed from differences over how the orchestra should evolve while continuing to uphold the core classical repertoire.
“The decision came down to a need for alignment,” Smith said. “We landed at a place where we felt that the organization, that the orchestra must serve Boston, must serve our communities more expansively and inclusively.”
According to Smith, the Boston Symphony has faced “significant declines across a number of areas,” prompting the board to reconsider its long-term strategy.
“The only way for us to move forward was to think differently about what it is that we put on our stages, whose voices get to be heard, whose stories get to be told, how do we do that in a way which continues to center and anchor the great canon of classical music,” he said.
Asked why the board decided not to renew Nelsons’ contract, Smith replied that, during contract negotiations and the orchestra’s strategic planning process, “it became clear that he was not supportive of the direction that the BSO was going, particularly as it related to how we think about expansively serving our communities.”
“Without that kind of alignment across leadership, all leadership, the board made the decision to not renew the contract,” he added.
Smith also acknowledged that many members of the orchestra had hoped Nelsons’ contract would be renewed.
“I think many of our players wanted Andris to be renewed,” he said, while maintaining that the board believed a unified vision among trustees, management and artistic leadership was essential for the organisation’s future.
The interview was Smith’s first broadcast appearance since the March announcement and the first in which he publicly detailed the board’s reasoning for not renewing Nelsons’ contract.
The orchestra announced in March that Nelsons’ contract would not be renewed after it expires at the end of the 2027 Tanglewood season, bringing to a close a tenure that began in 2014. At the time, the BSO said the decision reflected “a difference in vision” regarding the orchestra’s future. The announcement prompted criticism from musicians, patrons and supporters, with petitions calling for the board to reverse its position.
Nelsons later said the decision was “not the decision I anticipated or wanted” and has stated that he intends to fulfil his responsibilities through the conclusion of his contract in 2027.
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