The Vermont Symphony Orchestra has tapped Andrew Crust as its fifth music director. Crust succeeds Jaime Laredo, who stepped down in 2021 after a 20-year tenure leading the VSO. Crust’s first concert as the VSO’s music director will be Sept 30 at the Flynn in Burlington.
“I couldn’t be happier that we’ve found Andrew to join the VSO family,” said VSO Executive Director Elise Brunelle. “He has a wealth of inspiring ideas to take us forward, is enthusiastic about music education and our statewide role, and has a true love of Vermont. We can’t wait to get the ball rolling!”
While a large part of Crust’s initial VSO season has already been planned, he is integral to completing the artistic choices for next year’s concerts and looks forward to the VSO’s 90th season in 2024-25 to fully flesh out an artistic vision for Vermont’s state orchestra. The VSO’s 2023-24 season will be announced at the beginning of May.
“When I performed for the first time with the VSO in February, I was immediately struck by not only the orchestra’s extremely high artistic quality and sense of pride, but also its desire to explore new repertoire and to continue to evolve and adapt as the modern world continues to change," Crust said. "I am very much looking forward to the impactful and transformative work we will do together in the coming seasons.”