Darko Butorac is new artistic director of Missoula Symphony Orchestra

By JOE NICKELL of the Missoulian

As the Missoula Symphony Orchestra's brass quintet played on the lawn of the orchestra's offices on East Main Street Thursday morning, a crowd of more than 100 people gathered to greet the orchestra's new director, Darko Butorac.

The sun shone, the brass band gleamed - but nothing shined as brightly as Butorac's smile when he was introduced to the assembled throng.

"I'm really honored to be a part of this exciting organization," Butorac said to the assembled crowd. Recalling his first visit to town earlier this year, Butorac noted, "I sort of fell in love with Missoula. ... I'm really looking forward to making great music here soon."

For some, it was a first up-close-and-personal glimpse of the new face of the MSO. Butorac, a 29-year old Serbian-born conductor, was hired after an exhaustive two-year search for a new artistic director for the orchestra. He will take the podium for the first time as the official music director of the orchestra on Aug. 12 in a free concert at Caras Park.

Hearkening back to his first visit to Missoula in February, during which he conducted the MSO in a pair of concerts, Butorac told the crowd he was immediately struck by the community support for the 53-year-old orchestra.

"I was especially impressed with the spirit of generosity in the community," Butorac added. "When you have that spirit in the orchestra it allows for really honest and sincere music-making with the orchestra. That's what I am most excited about."

Speaking at the event, MSO Board President Jim Valeo said it was Butorac's combination of musical professionalism and forward-thinking enthusiasm that led to his being hired.

"The things we looked at (in the hiring process) were musicality, conducting technique, rehearsal technique; and also rapport with the orchestra, with the press, the audience, and ... schoolchildren," said Valeo. "Darko was outstanding in all those criteria. It is his combination of all those factors that make me very excited for the future of the orchestra and the community."

Mayor John Engen spoke at the event, welcoming Butorac and presenting him with a "baton" to the city.

"It didn't take (Butorac) long to capture the spirit of this community," Engen said. "This is indeed a community with great generosity of spirit. ... As always, it's a pleasure to welcome someone who will soon be a registered voter."

Retired MSO conductor Joseph Henry, recovering from a massive stroke suffered in late April, had a front-row seat for the event. He was surrounded by well-wishers and symphony supporters that included representatives from practically every cultural organization in town.

"The words that Darko spoke indicate he's immediately taken with the community," said Tom Bensen, head of the Missoula Cultural Council, as he visited with other attendees after the official ceremony. "His enthusiasm is fun to see.

"The Symphony has been reaching out to new audiences in recent years," added Bensen, "and he certainly will help in that. He kind of embodies the youth movement."

Indeed, at times during the ceremony, Butorac looked like a kid at his own birthday party - smiling, waving, greeting a long queue of local orchestra supporters, smiling some more.

Then, an hour later, it was down to business: a photo shoot for next season's promotional materials, followed by a meeting with the orchestra's programming committee to discuss what music will be on the bill for next season's subscription series of concerts, which begin in September.

While it's a somewhat late start to the process of hiring guest soloists, renting sheet music, and completing other preparations for a concert season, nobody seems all that worried that next season won't be one of the orchestra's best.

"He's been thinking about the kind of programming he'd like to do in Missoula all along through this process, which is so exciting - that's the kind of energy we were looking for," said MSO Executive Director John Driscoll. "It's really neat that he's done his homework that way and that he is thinking a lot about our mission and coming up with ideas for our community.

"It's going to be a very exciting year," added Driscoll. "I already know that much."

Reporter Joe Nickell can be reached at 523-5358 or at jnickell@missoulian.com.