Some of us have been afraid of this all along: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra chairman of the board Cynthia J. Brinkley will leave St. Louis, and the chairmanship. She has accepted the new position of Senior Vice President, Talent Development and Chief Diversity Officer of AT&T, and will be relocating to San Antonio.

This was sent to the musicians this afternoon:

“Cindy Brinkley will be stepping down, effective immediately, as SLSO Board Chairman due to a recent promotion within the AT&T corporation. This new position will require her to quickly move to the San Antonio area. She has thoroughly enjoyed her relationship with the SLSO community and will miss the special qualities which the orchestra has within itself.

“Ned O. Lemkemeier will be succeeding Cindy as the new chairman. She has been working closely with him on the expectations of this position in recent months. Please join the council in thanking her for all of her efforts on our behalf, and wishing her the best of luck in her new position.”

Brinkley has been one of the most dynamic leaders in the area since coming to St. Louis. Her quiet, self-effacing style has been a real plus in her leadership of the SLSO, where she led the brief and painless negotations that led to the two-year contract extension with the musicians in September. She’ll be greatly missed.