The 29-year-old Northern Virginia native, currently principal horn of the St. Louis Symphony, was offered the position in late April, and the Philadelphia Orchestra's announcement of its decision was reported in the press. Less than one week later, the Post-Dispatch reported that Montone was not at all certain that she would accept the position, saying that she enjoys working with director David Robertson at the St. Louis Symphony too much to jump ship entirely.

According to the Post-Dispatch, Montone has signed contracts with both Philadelphia (as principal hornist) and St. Louis; the latter will see her continuing to play under Robertson for most of his subscription concerts.

Details of the contract were not yet available.

Montone joined the St. Louis Symphony in 2003; she was previously associate principal horn of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. She was recently awarded a $15,000 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

A Juilliard graduate, she studied with Julie Landsman, a principal horn at the Metropolitan Opera. Montone has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, with whom she was awarded the position of third horn while still studying at Juilliard. She is a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and School.

According to an earlier article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Montone will be the first woman principal horn in one of the major "Big Five" orchestras in nearly six decades. Montone joins principal tuba player Carol Jantsch, another recent appointment to the Philadelphia Orchestra and the only female tuba player in a major American orchestra.