DSO’s Challenge: Trying to Hold on to Jaap

Like many bosses, Dallas Symphony Orchestra president Doug Adams is concerned these days about retaining a key employee. In Adams’ case it’s Jaap van Zweden, the DSO’s widely praised music director. “He’s magic,” Adams (pictured here) says of van Zweden. Unfortunately for Dallas, the conductor’s white-hot allure makes him appealing to other, bigger orchestras that might try to steal him away. So the key now, Adams says, is to make the DSO so attractive that the Dutch-born conductor doesn’t want to leave. That means pumping more dough into the orchestra, Adams says, making it bigger and attracting the greatest musicians. Toward that end, he adds, the DSO will be unveiling a strategic new campaign soon to raise money and awareness.