Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Honors National Arts Leader Deborah Rutter and Conductor Julien Benichou with Legacy Awards

Easton, MD

On Thursday, June 5, the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) honored two major cultural leaders with its 2025 Legacy Awards at a sold-out Gala Dinner in Easton, Maryland. Now in its 27th year as the regional professional orchestra of the Delmarva Peninsula, the MSO presented its National Legacy Award to Deborah Rutter, immediate Past President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and its annual Legacy Award to Maestro Julien Benichou, Past Music Director of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra.

In presenting the awards, MSO Chairman Jeffrey Parker stated, “Deborah Rutter has inspired all of us in America’s arts community as the long-time leader of our national arts center, and Julien Benichou dramatically raised the professional quality of our orchestra, and expanded its season and its supporter base.”

Deborah Rutter, in her 11 years heading the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, has provided the Nation with leadership across the broadest range of the arts, including arts education, multi-disciplinary arts training, support and enrichment; and symphonic music, opera, theater, contemporary dance, ballet, vocal music, chamber music, hip hop, comedy, international music and jazz.

She oversaw the Kennedy Center’s first physical expansion with the REACH, which opened in September 2019, and transformed the Center’s mission into one inclusive of diverse art forms. In 2022, she conceived and opened the permanent exhibit Art and Ideals: President John F. Kennedy. Rutter previously served as President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and held leadership roles at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

Julien Benichou served for 17 years as Music Director and Conductor of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, transforming it from a community ensemble into a fully professional orchestra. Appointed in 2004—under the leadership of then Board President Andrea Barnes—Benichou was quickly embraced by the MSO community, including early patron Lucienne Wolf, who supported him like family.

Under his charismatic leadership, audiences across the region grew steadily—not only for the music, but to experience the energy and warmth Julien brought to the podium. He worked tirelessly alongside the MSO Board to expand performances across the Delmarva Peninsula, including outreach to Rehoboth Beach and the creation of the now-beloved Toast to the New Year concerts, which will celebrate their 11th season this December.

One of Julien’s long-held dreams became reality in 2019 with the founding of the Elizabeth Loker International Concerto Competition (ELICC). Despite a brief interruption due to COVID-19, the competition has become a central feature of the MSO’s season.

In 2020, while most orchestras suspended operations, Benichou—together with MSO leadership—rapidly developed the “Season of Strings,” safely performing at the Church of God in Easton and livestreaming every concert to continue serving audiences during the pandemic.

Julien also led the MSO in special performances at the Embassy of France in Washington, DC, and in collaboration with the Washington Opera Society. His 17-year tenure left a profound artistic and organizational legacy. It is not an overstatement to say that the MSO as we know it today owes its very existence to his leadership. In 2024, he was knighted by the Ambassador of France with the title Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Deborah Rutter, in her keynote remarks, emphasized the need to “continue to support the artist wherever they feel welcome, supported, empowered and unencumbered to share their art and express their creative talent.” She called on artists and leaders alike to embrace their roles as citizen artists, a concept she co-developed with Yo-Yo Ma during her time at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, advocating for artists to engage deeply with their communities and to consider the broader impact of their work.

The Legacy Awards Dinner featured a performance by the MSO’s principal string musicians, remarks from Music Director Michael Repper on the future of the Orchestra, and a lively auction that included a chance to conduct the MSO at its 2025 Holiday Joy concert, a private plane excursion over the Chesapeake Bay, an eight-day European Viking cruise, and a private dinner for eight with celebrity chef Jordan Lloyd.

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The Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is the only professional symphony orchestra serving southern Delaware and Maryland’s Eastern Shore with a full season of programs. The MSO is supported in part by the Maryland State Arts Council, the Talbot County Arts Council, the Worcester County Arts Council, the Sussex County (Delaware) Council, and the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore, Inc.

A complete schedule of the 2025-2026 season’s Masterworks and Ensembles programs, including venues, times, and other details, is available at www.midatlanticsymphony.org.