Musicians aren’t the only Illinois Symphony players disenchanted with conductor Karen Lynne Deal

Everybody in this story loves the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. The musicians who drive hundreds of miles from every corner of this state to play for $63 per performance love the orchestra; the board members who pony up $1,000 a year for the privilege of attending meetings and working at fundraisers love the orchestra; the bare-bones office staff who juggle budgets and logistics while massaging the egos of temperamental artistes and pretentious patrons loves the orchestra; and the same undoubtedly holds true for Karen Lynne Deal, the music director for almost a decade now, who considers herself to be synonymous with the symphony.

Over the years, though, some of the ISO’s staunch supporters have noticed an unsettling attrition among players, donors and key support staff. Some of these departures have been hard to miss — two chorus conductors left discordantly, and ultimately the 70-member chorus itself disbanded — but most of these music lovers slipped away silently. In the spring of 2004, then-executive director Maureen Earley resigned with her office staff for reasons that have never been made public. A similar exodus occurred in May last year, when the ISO’s board president resigned, along with a vicepresident, most of the office workers, and the marketing consultant. About the same time, Earley’s successor, Cheryl Snyder, was demoted from executive director to a development post. Later last summer, when the ISO board offered the top management job to an orchestra executive from Florida, he declined.


Some musicians have severed ties with the orchestra since their beloved personnel manager, Kamen Petkov — a violinist who has played with the ISO since 1994 — was terminated in November. One longtime member of the ISO advisory board also resigned in protest.

What has caused so many people so passionate about music to give up on the only professional orchestra in town? It’s hard to know for sure, since several of the departed remain resolutely mum, but the ones willing to voice their disgruntlement unanimously blame music director Deal. Even the musicians have expressed unhappiness, holding a no-confidence vote that resulted in a 72-2 tally against their maestra. They’re now attempting to unionize.

In the past few weeks, Deal has not responded to a reporter’s request for comment on news of the musicians’ vote, nor has she been willing to answer questions for this story.

ISO board president John Wohlwend says the conductor has his full support.

Deal and the ISO made some pretty sweet music together when she was hired in 2000. Deal, then 42, was the winner of the ISO’s two-year search to replace Ken Kiesler, who had led the orchestra since 1981. Her audition concert featured a flute concerto (Deal herself is a flutist); she made her debut as ISO music director that August at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand, conducting a smorgasbord of classical chestnuts and patriotic plums.

A native of Virginia, with a master’s degree in conducting from Virginia Commonwealth University and doctoral studies at Peabody

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