The hunt for a new musical director [of the Orlando Philharmonic] has led to sold-out shows as each of five finalists performs. Audiences get to vote for their favorite in what locals are joking is the classical music equivalent of "American Idol." The finalists include Eric Jacobsen, a member of Brooklyn Rider, one of the best known and most cutting-edge string quartets around, and Mexican-American conductor Alondra de la Parra.
"All the candidates see the cultural community as on the cusp of something great," said David Schillhammer, executive director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.
There's a pent-up demand for more dynamic cultural events, said Glen Gentele, director of the Orlando Museum of Art, which is exhibiting the work of sculpture and landscape artist Maya Lin, and Orlando's arts patrons "are open and receptive to change."
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