Maybe it was in the stars. Not the definitive answer I had hoped for, but honest nonetheless. Orchestras are looking for the right relationship. It's got to work, because the concerts have to be great. But there's more.
Any music director is the ambassadorial face in the city.
We are the most visible, namable part of the orchestra. We end up being the voice of the orchestra. They're looking for the right fit. That was the case with Spano, who didn't find out he was a candidate until a friend read it in the paper and told him. I ask why he thought Atlanta picked him.