Renowned Cleveland Orchestra Director Stepping Down

CLEVELAND, OH — After nearly two decades as choral director of the Cleveland Orchestra, Robert Porco will step down after the 2017-2018 season. He will close out his career at Severance Hall as the longest serving Director of Choruses and Director of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus in the ensemble's history. He began his tenure during the 1998-1999 season.

“Bob Porco has been a great musical partner of The Cleveland Orchestra,” says Franz Welser-Möst, the Orchestra’s music director since 2002. “At home in Cleveland, and on tour, he has been a driving force in bringing our choral works to life. He has taken on challenging repertoire from Mozart to Mahler, from Beethoven to Stravinsky, and for our annual opera productions across multiple languages and styles – and all with a group of dedicated volunteers. He has inspired thousands of singers to perform at their best.”

Orchestra officials said in a press release the process of selecting Porco’s replacement as Director of Choruses is underway and will proceed in the coming months.

Porco is an Ohio native who has a long, long list of accomplishments. Besides his work at the Cleveland Orchestra, he also serves as the Director of Choruses for the Cincinnati May Festival, a position he has held for 27 years. In 2011, Porco received the Michael Korn Founders Award for a lifetime of significant contributions to the professional choral art from Chorus America. He has also done guest teaching stints at Harvard, Westminster Choir College, and the University of Miami Frost School of Music. Porco served as chairman of the choral department at Indiana University, 1980-98, and in recent years taught doctoral-level conducting at the school.

“The entire Cleveland Orchestra community stands grateful for Bob Porco’s tireless commitment to The Cleveland Orchestra’s tradition of excellence, onstage and off,” said André Gremillet, the Orchestra’s Executive Director. “Bob’s leadership has been exemplary and inspirational, as have his absolute dedication and advocacy for each piece of music he and the Chorus worked on during their long and successful partnership.

He also prepared the chorus for touring appearances at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Edinburgh International Festival, Lucerne Festival, London Proms, and concerts in Paris, Frankfurt, and Luxembourg. Over the span of his career he was involved in more than 150 concert programs.

He has prepared choruses for such renowned conductors as Pierre Boulez, James Conlon, Andrew Davis, Christoph von Dohnányi, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, André Previn, Kurt Sanderling, Robert Shaw, and Leonard Slatkin, among others.

Porco's predecessors in the role of Director of Choruses include Robert Shaw who helped bring the Cleveland Orchestra to international fame and recognition with his brilliantly led performances and recordings.

Robert Porco photo, Credit © Roger Mastroianni