Murry Sidlin Is the Choice for Summer

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Symphony has appointed Murry Sidlin artistic director of the symphony’s 10-week summer season at Embarcadero Marina Park South. Sidlin, who has been a frequent guest conductor here since 1988, is best known locally for his successful Classical Hits series at Copley Symphony Hall. Symphony executive director Wesley Brustad announced the appointment Monday.

Sidlin’s job, which begins immediately, will be to oversee programming for the SummerPops season, as well as to conduct.

“I’ll be able to look at the summer season with a fresh eye,” Sidlin said from his office at the University of Minnesota School of Music, where he directs graduate conducting studies.

“Much of the coming season is already in place, but I can still add my two cents,” he added in his usual jocular manner.

Sidlin said he will conduct three weeks of the 1993 season, expanding to four weeks in 1994. Although he has begun to formulate programming for 1994, he does not have a contract for a specific number of years.

“I’ve never had a relationship with the San Diego Symphony that requires a contract,” he said. “My relationship has always been quite informal: I serve at their pleasure.”

Sidlin takes responsibility for the SummerPops when the series is at a particularly low ebb. After the outdoor summer series moved in 1991 from its Mission Bay location at Hospitality Point, where it had been since 1983, to the current site on San Diego Bay, attendance and revenues dropped. Although management expected a recovery this summer, paid attendance declined another 6% and earned revenue fell 5%.

“It takes a while for the audience to catch on to changes,” Sidlin said. “I know the first season on San Diego Bay the weather was a factor that kept people away. I recall freezing while conducting that year. My hope is that when the economy gets better and people have more disposable income, they will get used to coming out to the new site.”

As a result of the symphony’s austerity measures, the 1993 SummerPops season, June 30-Sept. 5, has been reduced from 12 weeks in 1992 to 10 weeks.

“The symphony’s financial problems are not unique,” Sidlin said. “There are a lot of symphonies going through worse problems.”

Sidlin’s post as SummerPops artistic director is a new position. Since the symphony resumed its summer programs after the canceled 1986-87 season, Brustad has planned the summer season using guest conductors.