Lockhart's contract extended

Keith Lockhart has no intention of leaving the Utah Symphony any time soon — his contract with Utah Symphony & Opera has been extended three more years.

US&O management and Lockhart's agent have agreed on terms that will extend the music director's tenure to the end of the 2007-08 season, to take effect when his current contract expires at the end of the 2004-05 season.

"I'm ecstatic," said Anne Ewers, the CEO of US&O. "It's wonderful. You could not ask for a better colleague." Lockhart is out of town and couldn't be reached for comment, but Local chapter 104 of the American Federation of Musicians issued a supportive statement: "On the occasion of Maestro Lockhart's contract extension, Local 104 looks forward to the same cooperation, understanding and fairness in collective-bargaining issues that Keith has exhibited during his past tenure as music director."

Ewers said one of the reasons that Lockhart is a good match for the Utah Symphony is his understanding of the role a music director plays with an American orchestra. "Keith gets the big picture. He knows what needs to be done in the arenas of fund-raising and marketing." She compared him to Maurice Abravanel in that regard. "Abravanel had the big picture, too."

As music director, being a good fund-raiser can occasionally overshadow the artistic side of the position. Ewers said that was one of the reasons Daniel Barenboim cited in his recent decision to step down as music director of the Chicago Symphony. "But Keith understands what has to be done."

Ewers said she and Lockhart have developed a great relationship over the past two years. With the merger of the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera in 2002, the music director reports to the CEO — unlike other orchestras, where the music director reports to the chair of the board of directors. Consequently, Ewers works closely with Lockhart on concert programming. "We feed off each other. We agree on a lot of things, but if we disagree, we work things through."

With a contract extension that keeps Lockhart here until 2008, planning out future seasons has become easier. "We're working on the '05-06 season," Ewers said. "The symphony doesn't plan too far ahead, unlike opera, where we (at Utah Opera) already have the groundwork for the '07-08 season. But we realize that we need to pick up the pace. That would allow us more choice in guest soloists and conductors."