Eminent Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit has graciously offered to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the orchestra’s final programs, April 17-26, stepping in for Lorin Maazel, who has been obliged to interrupt his conducting activities due to an accident and on the advice of his doctors until the third week of May. In addition to the BSO concerts at Symphony Hall, Maestro Dutoit will now also lead the BSO on its tour to China and Japan, May 1-10.

The Friday concert on April 18 will be dedicated to honoring the spirit of the Boston Marathon. Assistant principal viola Cathy Basrak, who ran in the 2013 Boston Marathon and will run again this year, will speak from the stage at the beginning of the concert. One Fund Boston will be distributing tickets for this concert to some of those most affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. One Fund Boston can be reached at 855-617-FUND (3863) or info@onefundboston.org.

“We are deeply grateful to Charles Dutoit for offering to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra on its upcoming tour to Japan and China, and assuring the BSO’s important commitment to its audiences in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Tokyo,” said Mark Volpe, BSO Managing Director.

“The Boston Symphony Orchestra has had the privilege of working regularly with Maestro Dutoit ever since Seiji Ozawa first invited him to conduct the orchestra 33 years ago. His outstanding rapport with the orchestra and undeniable engagement with our audiences have made him one of the orchestra’s most popular guest conductors, so we are certain that the BSO is in good hands to bring its tour audiences the very best of what it has to offer.

“I’d like to express my most sincere appreciation to everyone involved in finding a solution to maintaining the BSO’s tour schedule under some challenging circumstances. In particular I would like to thank the managements of the NCPA in Beijing, Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai, and Guangzhou Opera House, as well as Tomin Gekijo and AMATI (tour agent in Japan) and Harrison Parrott (over all tour agent)—for their sympathetic understanding and fine cooperation in helping us resolve this difficult situation. From Maestro Dutoit, to the musicians of the BSO, the leadership at all the wonderful concert venues, our agents and presenters, and our incredibly generous tour sponsors—EMC Corporation and State Street Corporation—I thank you all on behalf of the entire BSO organization.  On an important final note, we want to wish Lorin Maazel a speedy recovery and look forward to having him back on the BSO podium in the not-so-distant future.”

(Click here for further details about the tour.)