“In a move unprecedented among full-time American orchestras, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is eliminating the position of music director and replacing it with a handful of ‘artistic partners’ of international renown. Among the first batch of partners are superstar violinist Joshua Bell and Italian conductor Roberto Abbado.” The decision to overhaul the SPCO’s business model comes in the wake of a controversial contract, signed last summer, which cut the SPCO musicians’ salaries by more than 20%, but also gave them an unprecedented leadership role in the organization. Orchestras around the country will be watching the new St. Paul model closely.