The five are Grant Cooper, music director of the West Virginia Symphony and resident conductor of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra; David Lockington, music director of the Grand Rapids Symphony; Jos_-Luis Novo, music director of the Binghamton Philharmonic and the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra; Edwin Outwater, resident conductor of the San Francisco Symphony; and Lara Webber, recently the associate conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and faculty member of the American Symphony Orchestra League's national conducting seminars.

Each candidate will conduct one concert and participate in a week-long residency during the upcoming season in which he or she will meet the orchestra and board members, administrative staff, donors, and other members of the community.

The winning candidate will be offered a contract beginning at the end of the end of the 2006-07 season; he or she will lead the orchestra in its inaugural season at the Gallo Center for the Performing Arts beginning September 2007.

Paul Jan Zdunek, president and CEO of the MSO, said, "First and foremost, this person should possess flawless technical skills that compliment inspirational musical interpretations. [The orchestra] has been privileged to have had visionary artistic leadership since its very beginning. We look forward to continuing that tradition as we hand over the baton to our next music director."