Glen Cortese announces his resignation as OMP’s Artistic Director

Glen Cortese announces his resignation as OMP’s Artistic Director, effective after the last concert of OMP’s 2010-2011 season in May, 2011.
OMP’s Artistic Director, Glen Cortese, has announced that he will resign at the end of the current 2010-2011 season. OMP’s concert with the American String Quartet on May 14, 2011 will be Mr. Cortese’s last conducting performance as Artistic Director with the group. However, Mr. Cortese has accepted an invitation to serve as Artistic Director Emeritus during OMP’s 2011-2012 season and will return to conduct one concert during that season. Mr. Cortese will continue working as Artistic Director of the Greeley Philharmonic in Colorado, the Western New York Chamber Orchestra, and the New York Chamber Sinfonia. He also plans to devote an increasing amount of his energy to composing and guest conducting. “My tenure with the Mozart Players has been rewarding and fulfilling,” states Mr. Cortese. “I will miss the Eugene community and my interaction with the players and our audiences.”
 Mr. Cortese has served as OMP’s Artistic Director since the 2003-2004 season, leading the group to new levels of artistic excellence and consistently engaging programming. Mr. Cortese has continued to live in New York during his tenure with OMP, and has used his connections there to bring distinguished guest soloists to Eugene to perform with the orchestra. His original compositions have been a highlight of each season, giving OMP’s patrons the opportunity to enjoy contemporary works alongside Classical and Baroque era pieces for which the group is best known. OMP Executive Director Larry Wayte notes that “Glen Cortese has been a very energetic, consistent, and generous artistic leader of this orchestra for the past eight years, and I am very glad to have had the opportunity to learn from him.” OMP Board President Robert Canaga adds, “Glen has been a driving force behind OMP’s transition to a more outward-looking, inclusive, and community-oriented organization. His generosity, humility, and willingness to give back to our community will be greatly missed.”
The Oregon Mozart Players will conduct a search for a new Artistic Director beginning immediately. OMP plans to invite a series of guest conductors to Eugene over the next two years, with the goal of identifying the next Artistic Director by the end of the 2012-2013 season.