Riding a wave of growth and change, the Evanston Symphony Orchestra ended this year’s season by announcing the appointment of a new music director.

Lawrence Eckerling will take over as music director this fall, ending a two-and-a-half-year search to fill the position. He replaces Lynn Schornick, who retired this year after leading the orchestra for 17 years.

Eckerling, who directed the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota for 16 years, was chosen from a pool of four finalists culled from more than 85 candidates.

During the 2002-03 season, each finalist conducted the orchestra in a concert, which was then evaluated by orchestra members and the group’s board of directors. Eckerling’s Jan. 12 program featured music of Johannes Brahms, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Ottorino Respighi.

“After the last concert everyone voted, and Eckerling was the very clear choice of the musicians,” said Kelly Brest van Kempen, the orchestra’s board president. “There was no question of who the preference was.”

Improving the orchestra artistically and strengthening its relationship with the community are two of Eckerling’s main goals.

There already is a spirit of cooperation between the orchestra and NU. The board recently voted to offer a discount to Northwestern students. Several Northwestern trumpet students also joined the orchestra for Eckerling’s Jan. 12 performance. And an earlier concert featured NU trumpet professors Charlie Geyer and Barbara Butler.

Eckerling already has strong links to the local community after years of performing classical, jazz and pop music, and his musical versatility is well-received by the board members.

“I like people to know that professional musicians are well-rounded,” Brest van Kempen said, “that there are so many facets of music.”

Hiring Eckerling was the final touch of a series of recent changes for the orchestra. After years of performing Friday nights at Evanston Township High School, the Evanston Symphony now calls NU’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall home.

This year’s Saturday night concerts at the new location saw larger audiences, and the hall’s superior acoustics “bring out the best of the musicians,” Brest van Kempen said.

And apparently Brest van Kempen isn’t alone in her praise. The Illinois Council of Orchestras named the Evanston Symphony Orchestra the 2003 Community Orchestra of the Year.

“It is a great hour for the organization,” Eckerling said. “It certainly gives us more visibility, and comes at a very opportune time. That said, the goal of any organization is to improve, and that wouldn’t be changed by any amount of visibility.”