After a 33-year tenure, Diane Wittry will step down as music director and conductor for the Allentown Symphony Orchestra.
Wittry will conduct her final concert during fall 2027 but will remain as music director through May 2028, the Allentown Symphony Association announced in a news release, adding it will look across the country for her successor. When she steps down, she will have had the longest tenure in the orchestra’s history.
“Wittry leaves a deep and enduring legacy of artistic excellence, innovation, and growth,” the news release said. “Since the start of her tenure in 1995, she has championed adventurous programming that paired underperformed masterworks with new and contemporary compositions. From the outset, she raised artistic standards by challenging the orchestra musically and increasing rehearsal and preparation expectations, attracting highly accomplished musicians to audition from across the region, including New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.”
The news release also credited Wittry for work like implementing elements like actors, dancing, vocalists and video into performances; helping establish the National Schadt String Competition; and helping create the orchestra’s Composer-in-Residence program.
“Together, we have built an orchestra of exceptional professional quality, expanded our concert offerings, championed new music, and deepened our partnerships throughout the Lehigh Valley,” Wittry said in the release. “I am profoundly proud of what we have accomplished and grateful for the unwavering support of the musicians, board, staff, and community. I remain fully committed to working closely with the Board during this transition, and I look forward to the inspiring music we will continue to make together in the seasons ahead.”