The five finalists are Timothy Hankewich, resident conductor of the Kansas City Symphony; Delta David Gier, assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic and music director of the South Dakota Symphony; Paul Haas, music director of the New York Youth Symphony and assistant conductor of the Brooklyn Philharmonic; Daniel Kleinknecht, executive director of the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre; and Lawrence Loh, associate conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Each will lead the CRSO in a concert during the 2005-06 season.
"Each of the five final candidates possesses a unique approach and philosophy about what a symphony orchestra should be," said Dennis Redmond, chair of the orchestra's search committee, in a statement. "But they all have a common thread of high musicianship, a vision of the future, a dedication to education and community involvement. I truly think Cedar Rapids would be happy with any of the five."