Darko Butorac is the new music director of the Missoula Symphony. He loves performing and learning about all kinds of music. Originally from Belgrade, Serbia, Darko grew up in Seattle where he started to play the cello and fall in love with the orchestra. He loves being a conductor, partly because it goes really well with his other passion - traveling (34 countries on five continents to date). His sojourn in the SW (Flagstaff, AZ) made him fall in love with hiking and red rocks in particular - on one occasion, he managed to visit all five of Utah's National Parks in a whirlwind 48 hour tour. Having grown up in Serbia, and being an Indiana alum, Darko is a naturally avid basketball player and fan (one of the rare conductors who can get above the rim). His favorite teams used to be the Sonics (now history!) and the Sacramento Kings (but then both Pedja and Vlade left). When at home (kind of rare these days) Darko loves to cook. His interests lie in what can be broadly described as Mediterranean cuisine - a mix of Serbian, Italian, and Greek food. However, while at the Aspen Music Festival he came across an out of the way Taqueria El Nopal, possibly the most delicious Mexican food north of the border (in Basalt, CO), and the inspiration to experiment with Mexican cooking. In the dessert department he makes a fine baklava (no honey, please), a recipe which was published by the Missoulian a year ago. This love of cooking actually helped Darko become a conductor: he cooked meals for up to 75 of his friends that played in his 'ad hoc' orchestras over the years. Since moving to Montana, he has rediscovered his love of skiing and is intrigued by fly-fishing. He looks forward to sharing his love of music and life with his new hometown.