Conductor Riccardo Muti has extended his contract as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by one year through the 2022-23 season.
The 80-year-old Italian became music director of the CSO in 2010, succeeding Daniel Barenboim.
The deal calls for Muti to lead 10 weeks of concerts in Chicago during the 2022-23 season and four weeks on tour, which will include a trip to China, Japan and Taiwan.
The CSO said that season will include performances of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnic (Solemn Mass)” in June 2023 and the world premiere of a work commissioned by the CSO from Jessie Montgomery.
Muti is scheduled to conduct the CSO’s season-opening performance Thursday night in their first performance together since February 2020, a gap caused by the pandemic.
“After such a challenging time without the opportunity to connect to the joy of live music, we are grateful that Maestro Muti has accepted our invitation to stay with us to make music that lifts our spirits and inspires us,” CSO Association board chair Helen Zell said in a statement.
