CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Orchestra has extended the contract of music director Franz Welser-Moest through the 2017-2018 season.
Board chairman Richard Bogomolny announced the extension Friday.
Welser-Moest, 47, was named the orchestra's seventh music director in 2002. In 2003 his initial five-year contract was extended to 2012.
"Cleveland is my symphonic home and I look forward to at least another decade of working with this wonderful orchestra and serving this extraordinary community," the Austrian conductor said in a statement.
"It is with heartfelt gratitude that I thank the trustees and supporters of this institution for your commitment to excellence and devotion to the art of orchestral music."
In September 2010, Welser-Moest will become general music director of the Vienna State Opera with an initial five-year term.
The orchestra also said it received a $5 million anonymous gift to expand its education programs, including a plan by the city's school district to bring every fifth grader to Severance Hall.
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