BATON ROUGE - The man who's led the Baton Rouge Symphony for 20 years has announced plans to step down at the end of the orchestra's 2019-2020 season.

A news release Wednesday said Timothy Muffitt's announced his intentions to leave the symphony this week. The news release credits Muffitt with maintaining a high level of performances during his two-decade tenure, allowing it to establish with connection with recognized performers and organizations from around the world.

The BRSO board will designate Muffitt as music director laureate in recognition of his contributions.

The organization's board of directors and institutional leadership will immediately begin the search process for a new music director.