Rochester, N.Y.—Arild Remmereit spoke for less than ten minutes, but during that time he struck a chord with fans, yet again.
“He is a world class musician and a world class person,” said Jan Miller, a supporter,
Remmereit’s contract was terminated by the board members of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra because of differences with RPO leadership.
In his comments to a crowd of more than 100 supporters at Monroe County’s central library, Remmereit thanked the community and asked supporters to channel their emotions.
“May this passion be channeled toward reaching the obvious goal; a great future for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra,” said Remmereit.
“It is a shame it had to end this way,” said Mark Berry, Vice President of Marketing & Communications for the RPO.
Berry said Thursday that the divorce between the RPO and Remmereit had nothing to do with clashes between the music director and leaders, but an inability for Remmereit to do his job properly.
“When it came down to how it would affect the music and how it affected the musicians, the board had to take action,” said Berry.
Two board members resigned in light of the contract termination.
This may not be the final time fans will see Remmereit. He is scheduled to perform for the RPO February 28th and March 2nd, according to Berry. Both sides are still negotiation the end of Remmereit’s time at the RPO, but it is possible that the popular director performs again. His contract termination is slated to take affect August 31st.
“Anything is possible,” said Glenn Pezzulo, Remmereit’s attorney. “I can’t tell you whether it is likely or not."
