Muti is to begin a five-year contract as music director in September of the 2010-11 season and will conduct a minimum of 10 weeks of CSO subscription concerts each season, in addition to domestic and international tours.

As music director designate, beginning in January, Muti is expected to oversee auditions and planning for future seasons.

He will also lead the orchestra and chorus in the Verdi Requiem at Symphony Center Jan. 15-17 and will conduct two subscription weeks in the 2009-10 season.

"From the moment Maestro Muti took the podium earlier this season, it was immediately evident that something truly special was taking place," Deborah Rutter Card, president of the CSO Association, said in a statement. "The connection between Maestro Muti and our musicians was electric and the music making was astonishing. We are thrilled to appoint Riccardo Muti, one of the most extraordinary and respected conductors of all time, to the

position of music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra."