It's been a year of promise and peril as the city's classical music organizations face significant transitions.

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra has been auditioning candidates to replace retiring maestro David Loebel. One of the four conductors up for the job is likely to be named in February and will come aboard in the 2010-2011 season.

Photo by Chris DesmondChris Desmond/Special to The Commercial Appeal

Chris Desmond/Special to The Commercial Appeal

In one of the Symphony's new features this year, film director Craig Brewer talked about classical music in film that he found inspiring.

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Meanwhile, the IRIS Orchestra announced a slimmed-down 2009-2010 season with only five concerts because of the weak economy. The quality, however, remains high with top guest artists and performances, and the orchestra has found ways to expand within the recession.

The search for a new music director at MSO began in 2008 when Loebel announced he would move on when his contract was up. The 2009-2010 season thus offered a series of guest conductors in addition to Loebel occasionally taking the podium.

Three candidates were announced early in 2009: Mei-Ann Chen, assistant conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Thomas Wilkins, music director of the Omaha Symphony; and Alastair Willis, former associate conductor of the Seattle Symphony. In December, Robert Moody, who has guest conducted several times in the past, was added to the list. Moody is music director for the Winston-Salem (N.C.) Symphony and the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra.

The selection process put the spotlight on the MSO's increasing use of the musicians in decision making. Players made up half the selection committee and have been instrumental in selecting and interviewing candidates.

Giving more latitude to the musicians in shaping the organization has also resulted in an unusual project. The Opus One concert series, which is still being developed, will allow musicians to plan and perform additional concerts without a conductor and with minimal involvement of MSO staff.

This allows the players to perform more frequently at a lower cost and at different venues. The first two performances are scheduled for March and May of 2010.

The MSO has done some other bold programming, including a freewheeling concert with film director Craig Brewer introducing and discussing classical works in film that inspired him.

For a couple of years, the IRIS Orchestra has been operating as a freestanding, self-sustaining organization. It receives in-kind support from the City of Germantown for use of the Germantown Performing Arts Centre but has to rely on funding from elsewhere.

When it announced in March that 2009-2010 would have five rather than last season's six concerts, music director Michael Stern said that IRIS was acting prudently to keep expenses down. Also, for the first time since its inception in 2000, it is not offering commissioned compositions this season.

But the guests artists are top notch: violinist Midori and pianist Jeremy Denk performed already this season, and soprano Dawn Upshaw and violinist Jennifer Koh are up in 2010.

Also, with Denk's performance in November, the orchestra for the first time performed not only at its home at GPAC, but repeated the concert on the Ole Miss campus. IRIS is endeavoring to widen its impact, particularly by reaching more students.