{"id":19780,"date":"2019-07-30T19:21:44","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T23:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?page_id=19780"},"modified":"2026-05-07T11:31:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T15:31:23","slug":"peoplemoves","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.musicalamerica.com\/mablogs\/?page_id=19780","title":{"rendered":"People Moves"},"content":{"rendered":"
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April 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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English National Opera<\/a><\/strong> (ENO) has appointed Helen Shute<\/strong> as its new chief executive officer, effective in November 2026. She succeeds Jenny Mollica, who steps down in May after six years with the company. Shute will also be chief executive of London Coliseum Limited, ENO\u2019s London performance venue, as of the same date. Shute is currently chief executive and executive producer of Rambert, a leading contemporary dance company. During her nine-year tenure, she has overseen an ambitious program of commissions and major revivals in partnership with The Royal Ballet and Manchester International Festival.<\/div>\n
Fran\u00e7ois Germain<\/strong> is the new director of the Cleveland Institute of Music<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s (CIM) Opera Theater and Voice Ensembles. He succeeds two interims\u2014J.J. Hudson, appointed in 2023, and Dean Southern (2019-2023)\u2014and will continue in his current position as professor of voice studies at the school. As director, Germain will have responsibility for working collaboratively with CIM faculty, guest artists, and production teams to fashion a curriculum that prepares students for professional voice careers while also planning performances that appeal to a public audience.<\/div>\n
The Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC) has announced that Scott Altman<\/strong>, its president and CEO since January of 2024, is leaving as of June 5, 2026, to become executive director of the Miami City Ballet<\/a><\/strong>. (Prior to joining LAMC, Altman was president & CEO of Cincinnati Ballet.) He succeeds Juan Jos\u00e9 Escalante. Board member William Tully will assume the role of interim president and CEO while a national search proceeds.<\/div>\n
The Salzburg Festival<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Karin Bergmann<\/strong> as artistic director for the next two seasons, with immediate effect. The former artistic head of Vienna\u2019s Burgtheater\u2014where she also began as interim, in 2014, also with immediate effect\u2014she is the Festival\u2019s first female artistic leader and is viewed as a calm and hugely competent presence. That\u2019s what is needed because, according to Kronin Zeitung, the festival descended into chaos after the departure of Hinterh\u00e4user, capping acrimony among him, the board of directors, and Festival President Kristina Hammer, whose contract, like Hinterh\u00e4user\u2019s, expires at the end of the Festival.<\/div>\n
Boston\u2019s Mayor Michelle Wu has tapped Joseph Zeal-Henry<\/strong> to lead the Office of Arts and Culture<\/a><\/strong>. A native Londoner who most recently served as Boston\u2019s director of cultural planning, Zeal-Henry succeeded Kara Elliott-Ortega on March 1. Zeal-Henry inherits an office that in recent years has undergone significant growth. Under his predecessor, the staff more than doubled\u2014from 12 to 25 fulltime employees\u2014and the budget grew from $1.49 to over $4 million. During Elliott-Ortega\u2019s tenure, the office also dispersed $25 million in federal Covid relief funds.<\/div>\n
Chang Han-na<\/strong> is to be the new president of the Seoul Arts Center<\/a><\/strong>. The 44-year-old cellist and conductor is the first woman, the first musician, and the youngest individual to assume the position. She is expected to begin her three-year term as soon as April 24. Chang\u2019s appointment is part of a broader reshuffling of leadership among South Korea\u2019s major performing arts institutions that emphasizes artistic leadership grounded in field experience, as Korea seeks to elevate the reputation of its performing arts sector.<\/div>\n
Soprano Park Hye-jin<\/strong> and pianist Yoo Mee-jung<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong> both assumed their new three-year terms as the respective head and artistic director of the National Opera Company of Korea<\/a><\/strong> and chief executive of the National Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> on April 7; both organizations are based at the Seoul Arts Center.<\/div>\n
The Bravo! Vail Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has announced Chris Rogerson<\/strong>, 37, as its new artistic director at the close of the season. A composer on the Curtis Institute faculty, his skill set differs from his three predecessors in that he is not a performer. Festival President and CEO Caitlin Murray noted Rogerson\u2019s \u201capproach to community engagement\u201d as one of his strong points, along with \u201chis commitment to artistic excellence [and] sophisticated and innovative programming.\u201d<\/div>\n
March 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The English National Opera<\/a><\/strong> has appointed an interim CEO. He is Paul Reeve<\/strong>, MBE, arriving in April to succeed Jenny Mollica, in the job permanently since May of 2024 and as interim one year before. She succeeded Stuart Murphy, who exited in fall of 2023. The company cites Reeve\u2019s \u201c20 years\u2019 senior leadership experience across the arts and creative industries,\u201d including over a decade as head of a film company and, before that, at the Royal Ballet and Opera in education and community in-reach. He was awarded an MBE for services to film and the arts in 2019 and is apparently an outgoing and skilled fundraiser.<\/div>\n
Jonathan Martin<\/strong>, who capped seven successful years as CEO of the Cincinnati Symphony in 2025, has been announced as interim CEO of the Savannah Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Amy Williams, recently named president and CEO of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. He starts in May. Martin was a 2025 Musical America Professional of the Year.<\/div>\n
Tamara McCaw<\/strong>, who has been interim president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music<\/a><\/strong> since last June, has been selected from among 60 applicants to assume the position permanently. She will be the organization\u2019s third president in the last decade, succeeding Gina Duncan (2022-2025) and Katy Clark (2015-2021); McCaw, in her words, will be \u201cfocused on stability.\u201d<\/div>\n
The Manhattan School of Music<\/a><\/strong> (MSM) has named Or Matias<\/strong> as the new dean of the school\u2019s musical theater division as of July 1, 2026. He succeeds Liza Gennaro, the acclaimed choreographer, author, and educator who has led division since July 2018. An Obie Award-winning composer, music supervisor, orchestrator, pianist, and educator, Matias has helped develop more than 15 world-premiere productions while also sustaining an international career as a pianist and composer with appearances across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.<\/div>\n
The Teatro dell’Opera di Roma<\/a><\/strong> twinned the announcement of its summer program with the news that as of March 10, 2026, Alessandro Galoppini<\/strong> is the company\u2019s new artistic director. He comes to Rome from Milan, where he has been casting director at Teatro alla Scala. Prior to that position, he was artistic director at Teatro Regio di Torino. Galoppini succeeds Paolo Arc\u00e0 in Rome.<\/div>\n
British director and festival leader Amy Lane<\/strong> is the new director of opera for Opera Australia<\/a><\/strong> as of September 2026. Lane arrives Down Under after seven years as artistic director of the Copenhagen Opera Festival. Previous postings include head staff director at The Royal Ballet and Opera in London. Lane will constitute the third member of a leadership triumvirate that also includes chief executive Alex Budd and music director Andrea Battistoni, with responsibility for the company\u2019s artistic strategy, including repertoire planning, productions, and artist engagement. Budd described his new colleague as \u201cone of the most compelling leaders of her generation in the opera world.\u201d<\/div>\n
Thor Steingraber<\/strong>, executive and artistic director of Los Angeles\u2019 Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, is to succeed 15-year veteran Gary Dunning as president and CEO of Vivo Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> (formerly Celebrity Series of Boston) in June. Steingraber, 59, will be the fifth leader of the 88-year-old Boston organization, which annually presents more than 200 performances spanning dance, classical music, jazz, global music, workshops, and free public events. His responsibilities entail oversight of organizational innovation, artistic vision, community engagement, and stakeholder collaboration.<\/div>\n
New York Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has appointed Diya Vij<\/strong>, 40, as Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs<\/a><\/strong> (DCLA). In announcing her selection, Mayor Mamdani said, \u201cThis administration believes art is a public good, not a luxury reserved for the few. Under her leadership, we will fight to keep New York a city where artists can afford to live and create\u2014and where every New Yorker, in every borough, can experience the energy and inspiration that art makes possible.\u201d DCLA is the largest of its kind in the country, providing $245M in funding in 2025 to 1,000 cultural non-profit groups.<\/div>\n
February 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Violinist Jennifer Frautschi is to be the new artistic director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> (GLCMF) as of the 2027 season. Frautschi is a soloist and chamber musician with credits including the major ensembles of Chicago and Los Angeles. She is an artist-member of the Boston Chamber Music Society and is currently on the graduate faculty at Stony Brook University.<\/div>\n
The San Francisco Conservatory of Music<\/a><\/strong> (SFCM) has named Keelin Davis<\/strong> as the new associate dean and executive director of Pre-College and Continuing Education (PCCE). Davis joined the conservatory staff seven years ago as program manager in PCCE, and in 2024 was promoted to associate director. Davis, who grew up in upstate New York, graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a B.M. in Violin Performance. Growing up as a Suzuki student helped shape her belief in the value of early childhood education in music and her professional commitment to providing that for the youngest age groups.<\/div>\n
Michael Haefliger<\/strong>, who stepped down last summer after 26 years as artistic and executive director of the Lucerne Festival, has signed on as artistic advisor to Japan\u2019s Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival<\/a><\/strong>, coming up on its 46th season in the mountain resort town of Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Haefliger\u2019s charge appears to be a \u201cstrategic restructuring\u201d and \u201crevitalizing\u201d of the festival in Lucerne\u2019s image, with the new vision in place by its 50th anniversary in 2030. Having founded the Lucerne Fest with Pierre Boulez and brought it and its Academy to international prominence, he is well equipped to do so.<\/div>\n
Next fall, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings<\/a><\/strong> at Mercer University in Macon, GA, will welcome a new artistic director and two new faculty members. Violist Emily Brandenburg<\/strong> will succeed her former teacher, Amy Schwartz Moretti, in the top role. Brandenburg holds degrees from Yale University and the New England Conservatory, and is an alumna of the McDuffie Center\u2019s Class of 2013. Based in New York City, where she maintains a violin and viola studio, she has appeared with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York Classical Players, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Albany, Princeton, and Portland (ME) symphonies, among other New England groups. She is on the faculty at Riverdale Country School.<\/div>\n
Dallas Opera General Director and CEO Ian Derrer<\/strong> will leave his post of eight years to become general director of the Canadian Opera Company<\/a><\/strong> (COC) as of July 1. Based at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, the COC is Canada\u2019s largest opera company, with an annual budget of about $38M, more than twice the size of Dallas\u2019s $18M. In Toronto, Derrer succeeds David C. Ferguson, in the job three years. Both men will stay in their current roles through the end of the season.<\/div>\n
January 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Royal Conservatory of Music\u2019s Glenn Gould School of Music<\/a><\/strong> will move its associate dean and head of chamber music Barry Schiffman<\/strong> to the position of dean, effective in July. He will serve as designate in the interim. Schiffman is also director of RCM\u2019s Taylor Academy for Young Artists, a position he will maintain in his new job. Additionally, he will continue as director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Festival and artistic director of the Rockport Music Festival, an annual chamber music fest in Rockport, MA.<\/div>\n
Stephan Blanford<\/strong> has been selected as the new executive director of the Seattle-based Earshot Jazz<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds John Gilbreath, who announced his retirement after 33 years in the position a year ago. Blanford arrives in his new post after five years as the executive director of Children\u2019s Alliance, a statewide nonpartisan child advocacy agency.<\/div>\n
Jenni Warren stepped down as executive director of Symphony Tacoma<\/a><\/strong>, effective on January 12th after 18 months in the position. Apparently, she’s headed back to Texas. The Board has chosen one its own, Frank Vangelder<\/strong>, a 40-year veteran of local nonprofit leadership, to serve in an interim capacity. A board management team has also been created to partner with staff to continue educational programming, fundraising, ticketing, and community relations.<\/div>\n
Entering its 50th-anniversary season, the Piedmont Opera<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Joseph Mechavich<\/strong> as general director, a post he has held at the Winston-Salem, NC, company on an interim basis for the past year. He succeeds James Allbritten, who resigned in 2024 after 21 years as artistic director. Mechavich\u2019s responsibilities will include overseeing artistic planning, driving the company\u2019s strategic and institutional development, and working closely with the board, senior leadership team, artists, and community partners.<\/div>\n
As of Jan. 19, John Thiessen<\/strong> is the new executive director of The American Classical Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (ACO), the New York City-based period instrument orchestra. He succeeds David Larkin, in the post for the past six years. Thiessen brings a rare combination of artistic and administrative skills to the position. For more than 15 years he has performed as a trumpet player with the ACO, and is widely regarded as a leading period instrumentalist, performing with, among others, Tafelmusik, Handel & Haydn Society, Philharmonia Baroque, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, the Academy of Ancient Music, English Baroque Soloists, and Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. He also teaches in The Juilliard School\u2019s Historical Performance department.<\/div>\n
William Powers<\/strong> is to be general director of Pittsburgh Opera<\/a><\/strong> beginning in July, at the conclusion of the current season. He succeeds Christopher Hahn, who last year announced his intention to retire after 18 years in the position. Powers is no stranger to the company. Currently he is executive director of the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra but previously worked for the Opera from 2007 to 2021 in roles including managing director and director of administration and artistic operations. Previous posts included stints with The Juilliard School, the Metropolitan Opera, and as general director of the Berkshire Opera Company.<\/div>\n
The National Association of Teachers of Singing<\/a><\/strong> (NATS) will have a new executive as of January 26. She is Melissa Greenblatt<\/strong>, recently in the same post with the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), a near two-decade-long affiliation. Greenblatt will oversee all aspects, including growing membership, donations, and professional programming. NATS President Alexis Davis-Hazell cited her experience as an association executive and her \u201ccollaborative spirit, dynamic energy, and attentive management style.\u201d Greenblatt holds business and marketing degrees from the University of Texas.<\/div>\n
The Seattle Opera<\/a><\/strong> has announced a number of promotions, the most recent of which is Blaine Inafuku<\/strong>, from associate director to director of artistic administration and planning. He succeeds Aren Der Hacopian, who stepped down last month after 18 years with the company. Inafuku joined the staff in 2020 and is credited with mounting its digital programming during the pandemic. He is a former VP of artistic administration at the Santa Barbara Symphony and has worked in similar capacities with a number of organizations. Other promotions include those of Sara Litchfield<\/strong> and Lokela Alexander Minami<\/strong>, from associate directors of\u2014respectively\u2014Community Engagement and Youth\/Family Programs to co-directors of Programs and Partnerships. Each has been with the company for eight years, each will continue to oversee their respective areas which, collectively are said to reach nearly 50,000 patrons annually through youth and community events. The previous director of P & P was Dennis Robinson Jr., now in the same position with Opera Colorado.<\/div>\n
John Harte<\/strong> has been named managing director of the London Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (LSO). He succeeds Dame Kathryn McDowell, who will step down at summer\u2019s end in 2026 after 20 years in the role. Harte comes to the LSO from the Aurora Orchestra, where he has been chief executive since 2009 and, in partnership with Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon and Creative Director Jane Mitchell, has transformed the group from a startup into one of Britain\u2019s most innovative arts organizations. Before joining Aurora, Harte worked for the British choral label Collegium and completed a doctorate in Middle Eastern history at the School of Oriental and African Studies.<\/div>\n
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Tracy Wenckus<\/strong> began work as the interim general director of the Portland (OR) Opera<\/a><\/strong> as of January 1, 2026, succeeding Sue Dixon, who retired after six years in the job. Wenckus has been with the company since 1999 and is the current general manager of the Broadway in Portland series, a partnership between the Opera and Broadway Across America.<\/div>\n
Universal Music Group<\/strong><\/a> (UMG), the world\u2019s largest music-based entertainment company, has reached outside the company to appoint James Steven<\/strong> as its new executive vice president & chief communications officer. As of January 26, his new responsibilities entail leading the company\u2019s internal and external communications, and overseeing the same functions for UMG operations worldwide. Based in New York, he will report to UMG\u2019s chief administrative officer, Will Tanous.<\/div>\n
December 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Mary Anne Carter<\/strong> is the 14th chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> (NEA). This will be her second time in the post, having served during the first Trump administration between 2017 and 2021, first in an interim capacity before being confirmed by the Senate for the permanent position. During her first tenure, Carter proved to be a savvy politician, ensuring that the arts agency invested in every Congressional district. Her administration expanded Creative Forces (a creative arts therapy program for U.S. service members and veterans recovering from post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and other psychological health conditions) and increased funding for national initiatives such as Shakespeare in American Communities, NEA Big Read, and Poetry Out.<\/div>\n
Longtime Warner Classics and Erato<\/a><\/strong> President Alain Lanceron<\/strong> moves to chairman emeritus capping 12 years at the helm. He was named to the post in 2014 after Warner Music Group (WMG) bought Parlophone, overseer of EMI Classics and Virgin Classics, of which he had been president. Lanceron is credited with significantly expanding Warner Classics and Erato\u2019s roster and releases during his term.<\/div>\n
After 18 years with the American Symphony Orchestra (ASO), seven of them as executive director, Oliver Inteeworn<\/strong> will exit to take the same post with Newport Classical<\/a><\/strong>, formerly known as the Newport Music Festival, in Rhode Island. He succeeds Gillian Fox, who last May was announced as president and CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and Arts. Eric Gershman has been interim; Inteeworn starts January 5.<\/div>\n
The Auburn (WA) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has promoted Gabi Galloway<\/strong>, director of individual giving, to executive director as of January 1. She succeeds Rachel Perry. Galloway is credited with expanding the depth and breadth of patronage for the orchestra and issuing its first-ever annual report. Previously, she was director of admissions and community outreach at the Texas Center for Arts + Academics, for K\u201312 charter schools. An alumna of California Institute of the Arts, she identifies as a filmmaker, theater artist, and performer. Auburn is a professional group that performs about five concerts annually under Music Director Wesley Schulz.<\/div>\n
The Williamsburg (VA) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has moved Alana Carithers<\/strong> to the post of executive director, after serving for three months as interim. Carithers is the principal second violin in the orchestra, a 50-plus member ensemble that performs about six times a year. She joined the group in 2005 after two years with the Richmond Symphony, preceded by playing principal second violin with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and associate principal second with the Colorado Springs Symphony. She holds a double MM in Violin Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University.<\/div>\n
Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra<\/a>,<\/strong> a professional ensemble in Northeast Atlanta that plays about five concerts a year, has named Philip Kim<\/strong> as executive director, succeeding Linda Brill. He comes from the Ohio State Bar Foundation where he directed marketing and communications. He holds a master\u2019s degree in comparative studies from Ohio State University and lists non-profit work on his CV. Johns Creek is a full symphonic complement when it performs; its music director is Henry Cheng.<\/div>\n
Canada\u2019s National Arts Centre<\/a><\/strong> (NAC) has promoted Annabelle Cloutier<\/strong>, its executive director of strategy and communications and corporate secretary to the board of trustees, to be its next president and CEO for a five-year term, effective immediately. She becomes the first Francophone woman in NAC\u2019s history to hold the top executive title and succeeds Christopher Deacon, who retired last week after seven years in the post.<\/div>\n
\u00c9lider DiPaula<\/strong> began his tenure as the executive director of Project STEP<\/a><\/strong> this past Nov. 6, succeeding Josu\u00e9 Gonz\u00e1lez, the new VP of education and external engagement for the Boston Symphony Orchestra as of last May. The Boston-based Project STEP has worked since1982 to advance equity, access, and excellence in classical music by providing primarily Black and Latino students with string instrument training. The program also aims to equip participants with the social wherewithal to change the complexion of the classical music world.<\/div>\n
November 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Oregon Symphony<\/a><\/strong> board of directors has elevated Paul Snyder<\/strong> to the permanent position of president and CEO from an interim appointment made in July 2025. His responsibilities will include oversight of the artistic, financial, and administrative aspects of the organization in support of the creative vision of Music Director David Danzmayr. Snyder\u2019s past service on the symphony\u2019s board has provided him with a deep understanding of the organization\u2019s culture as well as a head start on an organization-wide strategic planning process.<\/div>\n
The Stulberg International String Competition<\/a><\/strong>, coming up on its 50th anniversary in May, has appointed Garret Jones<\/strong>, director of administration for the Kalamazoo Symphony, to be its next executive director, with the mandate of expanding networking activities around the actual competition. He succeeds Megan Yankee. Stulberg is open to string players 19 years old and younger.<\/div>\n
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Monica Holt<\/strong>, former senior vice president of artistic planning at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts becomes the next president and chief executive officer of Des Moines Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> (DMPA) in January 2026. She succeeds Jeff Chelesvig, who retires later this month after 30 years. Since leaving The Kennedy Center, Holt has served as senior advisor to Capacity Interactive, a digital marketing firm for arts, and hosts its podcast, CI to Eye.<\/p>\n

The Spokane Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has chosen Steve Wenig<\/strong> as its new executive director. He succeeds Jeff vom Saal, in the post for 8 years before leaving in 2024 to assume the position of COO at Nashville Symphony. Spokane\u2019s new man holds degrees from The University of Hartford and the University of Michigan, and brings more than two decades of experience in arts administration, most recently as vice-president and general manager of the Oregon Symphony for the past ten years.<\/div>\n
Orchestra Lumos<\/a><\/strong>, (formerly the Stamford Symphony Orchestra) has appointed Walker Beard<\/strong> to succeed Russell Jones as president and CEO as of January 1, 2026. Jones had announced his departure after eight years earlier this year, and will transition into a consulting capacity to ensure a smooth transition of leadership. Beard arrives from the Dallas Opera, where, as director of operations, he was involved with artistic as well as operational functions, as well as working with fund raising in a way that widened the donor pool.<\/div>\n
As of this week, Ben Robinson<\/strong> is the new general director and CEO of Kentucky Opera<\/a><\/strong>. An accomplished singer, stage director, and arts executive, Robinson most recently was general director of Anchorage Opera where, over his two-and-half-year tenure, he is credited with expanding audiences and community programming, forging new artistic partnerships, launching an artist-development program, and closing last season with a six-figure surplus.<\/div>\n
The League of American Orchestras<\/a><\/strong> has a new VP of development in Sarah Generes<\/strong>, current development director at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. She succeeds Marlah Bonner, who exited the post after about five years last August. Part of Generes\u2019s job will be supporting the League\u2019s 1,800 (institutional and individual) members, as well as managing communications for its home office in Manhattan.<\/div>\n
Alison Bolton<\/strong> has exited the San Diego Symphony after nine months to join the Jacksonville (FL) Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as VP and general manager. She succeeds Blake Schlabach, a onetime professional trombonist who left in August after two years in the job. In Jacksonville, she will oversee logistics and finances of production, operations, recording, and labor relations.<\/div>\n
Oklahoma\u2019s Tulsa Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has hired Morgan Walker<\/strong>, current executive director of the Shreveport (LA) Symphony, as its next executive director. She succeeds Ron Predl, who plans to retire next spring after a 13-year run with the orchestra. Walke will arrive early in 2026, ultimately overseeing the orchestra\u2019s 30-plus concert season as well as its collaborations with the Tulsa Ballet and Chorale.<\/div>\n
Valerie Kahler<\/strong> is the new role as host of Performance Today<\/i><\/a><\/strong>, as Fred Child, in the job 25 years, stepped down. Heard on hundreds of public radio stations nationwide, Performance Today<\/i> offers concert recordings, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews from the show\u2019s St. Paul studios. Kahler most recently served as a host and producer for American Public Media\u2019s (APM) Classical 24 and has been a frequent guest host on Performance Today<\/i>. <\/i><\/i><\/div>\n
Music publisher Boosey & Hawkes<\/a><\/strong> has announced a major leadership transition. In June 2026, Janis Susskind OBE will conclude her 13-year tenure as managing director after 46 years with the company. Senior VP Steven Lankenau<\/strong>, with B&H for 15 years, will become president on January 1, 2026, then succeed Susskind as head of global operations on July 1, 2026.<\/div>\n
Opera America<\/a><\/strong>, the national trade organization for companies specializing in the art form, has named a successor to Marc Scorca, who announced his intention to step down as CEO one year ago. He is Michael J. Bobbitt<\/strong>, executive director of Mass Cultural Council in Boston, MA, with an impressive amount of experience in the cultural sector on and off-stage, much of it in theater. He starts in January with a five-year contract; Scorca, the field\u2019s majordomo for 35 years, takes the title President Emeritus.<\/div>\n
October 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The U.K.\u2019s National Youth Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (NYO) has appointed Lucy Bayliss<\/strong> as director of engagement & partnerships, a newly created position, effective in mid-November. Her remit, according to the announcement is \u201cto open up orchestral music to even more teenagers through programs and partnership development and new digital entry points.\u201d<\/div>\n
The Festival d\u2019Aix-en-Provence<\/strong><\/a> has announced its general director as noted opera director Ted Huffman<\/strong>. His five-year contract is effective as of January 1, 2026. Huffman, 48, a native New Yorker who grew up singing on Broadway and even at the Met as a child, succeeds Bernard Foccroulle, who stepped in as interim to see the 2025 Festival through after Pierre Audi\u2019s sudden death last May.<\/div>\n
The Portland (ME) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has a new, full-time executive director in Derek Beckvold<\/strong>. He was previously splitting his time between the Boston Philharmonic, where his most recent job was managing director, and Portland, where he succeeds Carolyn Nishon, in the job for over a decade. Beckvold holds an MM from the New England Conservatory of Music and an MBA in Arts Innovation from the Global Leaders Institute.<\/div>\n
Succeeding Sonja Thoms as executive director of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (WSO) will be Marc Zyla<\/strong>, a horn-performance doctoral candidate at the University of Illinois. Thoms left last June after two years in the job. Zyla starts next December. Zyla, who called the WSO \u201ca cultural cornerstone of the Ohio Valley,\u201d will be returning to his home state from Illinois to take the job. Currently he is principal horn and personnel manager of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.<\/div>\n
Ben Weston<\/strong> is to be the new executive director of Garsington Opera<\/a><\/strong>, whose annual two-month festival takes place on the Wormsly Estate in Buckinhamshire, about 40 minutes from central London. He succeeds Nicky Creed, with whom he will overlap for several weeks to facilitate a smooth transition. Creed announced several months ago that she would be leaving after 25 years.<\/div>\n
September 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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NPR Music<\/a><\/strong> has hired a new executive director. She is Sonali Mehta <\/strong>, most recently chief of staff at the Alternative Distribution Alliance (ADA), a company owned by the Warner Music Group. Previously she was director of digital marketing for Arista Records and worked in music programming for YouTube. Mehta starts September 22 and succeeds Suraya Mohamed, in the job 18 months. Mehta is first-generation Indian-American.<\/div>\n
Baryshnikov Arts<\/a><\/strong>, a 20-year-old performance space in Manhattan that hosts primarily dance and music events and has an active artist residency program, has named Jamie Burns<\/strong> as its next director. The announcement was made by Founder and Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov and Board Chairman Dave Hattem. Burns succeeds Sonja Kostich, in the job nearly three years, now executive director of the Houston Ballet.<\/div>\n
Lou Steigler, director of South Mountain Concerts<\/strong><\/a> since 1987, has announced that he will retire at the end of 2025. David Finckel and Wu Han<\/strong>, co-artistic directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, cofounders of Music@Menlo, among many other endeavors\u2014will take over as of next January. Over the past decades, South Mountain has commissioned works from composers including Bloch, Schoenberg, Poulenc, Ravel, and Stravinsky, and more recently, Ned Rorem, Ezra Laderman, Joan Tower, David del Tredici, and Ellen Taafe Zwilich.<\/div>\n
The New School College of Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> (CPA) has made two promotions: Stephen Brown-Fried<\/strong>, from vice dean for curriculum and learning to executive dean; Bill Gustafson<\/strong>, from associate dean of academic affairs for the Mannes School of Music to dean of Mannes and associate dean of the CPA. As executive dean, Brown-Fried will serve as the CPA\u2019s principal academic and strategic leader, overseeing the curriculum, financial and resource management, fundraising and partnerships, and administration and culture. As dean of Mannes, Gustafson will provide academic, artistic, and administrative leadership to Mannes students, faculty, and staff. He will also be instrumental in leading the CPA as a member of the college Deans Council and Associate Dean of the college, representing Mannes, Jazz, and Drama.<\/div>\n
The Ojai Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has chosen Teddy Abrams<\/strong>, music director of the Louisville Orchestra among other claims to fame, to succeed Ara Guzelimian as artistic and executive director, starting in 2027. Guzelimian will oversee the 2026 event, featuring Esa-Pekka Salonen as music director. \u201cTeddy Abrams is one of today\u2019s most striking ambassadors for the impact the arts can have on building community,\u201d Ojai Music Festival Board Chairman Jerry Eberhardt commented. \u201cHis artistic sensibilities, collegial spirit, and boundless energy position him as the ideal leader for the Ojai Music Festival as it enters its eighth decade.\u201d<\/div>\n
Beijing\u2019s National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has named its concertmaster, Chinese Canadian Li Zhe<\/strong> executive director. Li Zhe, 47, has been with the NCPA Orchestra for over ten years. He studied at the Central Conservatory of Music, London\u2019s Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and at the University of Montreal, where he also served on the faculty. He has been \u201cactive\u201d in NCPA\u2019s administrative work and is a guest professor and graduate adviser at the Central Conservatory of Music.<\/div>\n
The City of London Corporation has named Abigail Pogson<\/strong> as the new chief executive of the Barbican Centre<\/a><\/strong>. Pogson, currently chief executive of the Glasshouse International Centre for Music, assumes her new post on Jan. 5, 2026. Sir William Russell, Chair of the City Corporation\u2019s Barbican Centre Board praised Pogson\u2019s \u201cstrategic vision and a real passion for supporting artistic talent and the audiences who engage with it.\u201d Among her first tasks will be the oversight of the \u00a3191 million renewal program to restore and revitalize the buildings.<\/div>\n
Jessica Mallow Gulley<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) since 2019, is to succeed Jon Limbacher as president and managing director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (SPCO). Limbacher will remain as an advisor through the end of his contract in December; Mallow Gulley arrives to take the reins October 13. Mallow Gulley is credited with balancing the KSO\u2019s budget for the first time in over a decade, as well as weathering the pandemic and overseeing audience expansion by 80 percent. She also launched a community collaborative project called Sound Waves and brought the likes of Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax to the KSO stage.<\/div>\n
August 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Arriving in the fall to strengthen the administrative leadership of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (HKPO) is Matthias Patrick Ren<\/strong>, current managing director of China\u2019s National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) Orchestra, a job he has held for over 12 years. Simultaneously he helped establish the Tianjin Juilliard School in 2018, serving as its chief public affairs officer. His HKPO position, deputy chief executive, is newly created, to support the just-named CEO, Bernhard Fleischer, a businessman whose expertise lies in producing classical music films, not, apparently, in running orchestras.<\/div>\n
The Kennedy Center<\/a><\/strong> named Stephen Nakagawa<\/strong> as the dance program\u2019s new director. A former dancer with the Washington Ballet, Nakagawa possesses the quality essential for success in his new position\u2014support for the Trump administration. Nagakawa, who is in his early 30s, trained at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet and danced with Ballet West II in Salt Lake City before joining the Washington Ballet.<\/div>\n
The Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, founded in 1990 as the first professional chamber ensemble in middle PA, has a new executive director. She is Caitlin Martinkus<\/strong>, professor of music theory at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and she succeeds Trevor Thompson, in the job for about 18 months. Martinkus\u2019s CV includes faculty positions at CIM, Virginia Tech, the University of Notre Dame, and Georgia State University, and her scholarship in music theory has been published in academic journals.<\/div>\n
Austrian businessman Bernhard Fleischer<\/strong>, founder and owner of Bernard Fleischer Moving Images (BFMI), is to be the next CEO of the Hong Kong Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>. BFMI has recorded hundreds of international classical music and dance performances, artist profiles, and documentaries, serving as producer or coproducer since its launch in 1998. An article in the South China Morning Post<\/i> reports that orchestra members are opposed to Fleischer’s appointment. It\u2019s not clear that Fleischer has run an orchestra before, although he has collaborated with Peltokoski, filming a number of his concerts.<\/div>\n
The Music School of Delaware<\/a><\/strong>, a community school in founded in 1924 and based in Wilmington with branches in Dover and Lewes, has a new president and CEO in David J. Pacific<\/strong>. The school, the largest of its kind in Delaware and serving residents of the adjoining states, boasts an enrollment in the thousands and a faculty of 85. Pacific arrives in October; he succeeds Stephen Boudoin, in the job nine months and currently serving as director of major gifts at the Houston Grand Opera.<\/div>\n
Jessica Munch-Dittmar<\/strong> is the new executive director of the Fayetteville (NC) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (FSO), arriving at the same time as Music Director Stefan Sanders has announced his intention to exit at the end of 2025-26, after eight years in the job. Previously, Munch-Dittmar was CEO of the Greater Miami Youth Symphony; interim CEO of the Ukulele Kids Club; and director of education and community engagement with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and the Winston-Salem Symphony. The South Carolina native has a BA in music education from the University of South Carolina and an MA in arts administration from Savannah College of Art and Design.<\/div>\n
Steven Haines<\/strong>, whose extensive background includes marketing positions ranging from the Philly Pops to the San Francisco Zoo, is the new executive director of the South Bend (IN) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, which self-defines as \u201cthe region\u2019s only professional orchestra\u201d and offers about 20 pops and classical concerts annually. Haines\u2019s most recent job was CEO of the Florida-based Symphony of the Young Americans for five yeas; prior to that he served for one year as CEO of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and before that, two years with The Young Americans, in Los Angeles. He holds a BA in French from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.<\/div>\n
Cathedral Choral Society<\/a><\/strong> has hired a new executive director. She is Emma Moores<\/strong>, deputy executive director of the Washington Chorus for 12 years with a background in fundraising, marketing, and operations, which she applied as well to the Orchestra of the Americas Group and the Youth Orchestras of Prince William. Moores, a trombonist, succeeds Christopher Eanes, in the job from 2019 to 2024. He is now president & CEO of Chorus America. Catherine Ort-Mabry has been serving as interim.<\/div>\n
Shannon Kelly<\/strong> has been promoted to president & CEO of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Andrea F. Warren, in the job under three years. Kelly has been the VSO\u2019s VP of development since January 2023 and is said to have rebuilt and continuously strengthened post-pandemic support. Previously she was in government relations at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, where she is credited with doubling public funds for educational programs and helping to oversee the Foundation\u2019s partnership with the National Park Service. She has also worked with the National Association for Music Education.<\/div>\n
The Kentucky Opera<\/a><\/strong> has announced two leadership appointments. Peggy Kriha Miller<\/strong> has been selected as interim general director & CEO, succeeding Barbara Lynne Jamison, who took over as head of Opera Colorado on August 1. The Louisville-headquartered company also announced Sarah Bushman<\/strong> as its new director of advancement. Miller spent 25 years as a professional opera singer before turning to administration, first as general director and CEO of Opera Columbus and, most recently, of Virginia Opera. Her background includes strategic planning, major fundraising campaigns, and successful rebranding efforts. She will serve as interim during the national search for a permanent general director & CEO. Bushman, trained as a mezzo-soprano, began her career in fundraising at Lyric Opera of Chicago before moving to a Washington, DC-based nonprofit managing a $12 million portfolio that supported freedom of expression, media, and creative communities around the world. In her new position, she will oversee development and marketing strategies, donor engagement, and communications.<\/div>\n
Opera Birmingham<\/a><\/strong> (AL) has named Natalie Bergeron<\/strong> to succeed Keith A. Wolfe-Hughes as executive and artistic director. The one-time professional soprano, who hails originally from the area, will oversee the company\u2019s four-program season with immediate effect. Previously she held positions in human resources and financial management while pursuing an opera career. \u201cShe brings not only extraordinary musical talent and vision, but also deep expertise in business strategy and organizational leadership,\u201d commented Board Chair Matthew Penfield.<\/div>\n
Adriaan Fuchs<\/strong>, director of festivals and special projects at Carnegie Hall, is to be the new CEO and artistic director of the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CPO). Fuchs, 43, will succeed Louis Heyneman, in the job for 25 years. Fuchs has been at Carnegie Hall since 2017, initially as its associate artistic administrator; prior to that, he was director of artistic planning and touring for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has also held positions in marketing, new media, and development in his native Cape Town.<\/div>\n
July 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Matthias R\u00e4del<\/strong> has been named as the new general manager of the Bayreuth Festival<\/a><\/strong> following a meeting of the organization\u2019s administrative board. It concludes an extensive search for the onetime Wagner family concern and was announced by both Bavaria’s Minister of Art, Markus Blume, and the Minister of State for Culture, Dr. Wolfram Weimer. R\u00e4del, an experienced though relatively low-profile administrator, has been deputy managing director and chief controller at the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2006.<\/div>\n
Isaac Thompson<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, former managing director of the New York Philharmonic, is to be the new president and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Michelle Miller Burns, in the job six years. Thompson, who is originally from the Twin Cities area and grew up attending Minnesota Orchestra concerts, starts his new job October 14, the same month he started in Oregon in 2023.<\/div>\n
The former president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has accepted an appointment as vice provost for the arts at Duke University<\/a><\/strong>. Deborah Rutter<\/strong>, the first female to serve as CEO of the Kennedy Center, and, before that, longtime CEO of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, begins her tenure in Durham, N.C., on Sept. 1. She succeeds John Brown, who stepped down on June 30 after five years in the role. She arrives from Washington, D.C., where her successful decade-long tenure at the Kennedy Center was abruptly terminated by Donald Trump in February.<\/div>\n
As of July 1, Joanna Bosse<\/strong> joined Western Michigan University<\/a><\/strong> as the director of the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music. She comes to the Kalamazoo campus from Michigan State University, where she was associate dean of administrative affairs and strategic initiatives at the College of Music. From 2023 to 2024, she served as interim head of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music.<\/div>\n
Kimberly Grigsby<\/strong>, a much-praised Broadway music director, is the<\/strong> inaugural music director of SMU Meadows School of the Arts’ newly formed Sexton Institute for Musical Theatre<\/a><\/strong> in Dallas, Texas, as of August 1. Calling on her extensive career as a conductor, arranger, and music director, Grigsby will teach how scores, orchestrations, and arrangements function within musical storytelling as well as provide students with access to her network of the industry\u2019s professionals.<\/div>\n
Connecticut native Lydia Steier<\/strong> is to succeed Ivan Van Hove as artistic director of the Ruhrtriennale<\/a><\/strong> for the 2027-2029 seasons. Germany\u2019s largest industrial region hosts an international arts festival every year, launched in 2002 by the late Gerard Mortier. Van Hove\u2019s second season begins August 21. Like the Ojai Festival and, recently, the Cincinnati May Festival in the U.S., Ruhrtriennale rotates its chief artistic personnel\u2014in this case, every three years.<\/div>\n
The former Librarian of Congress abruptly fired by President Donald Trump has been hired by the country\u2019s largest philanthropic supporter of the arts. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation<\/a><\/strong> exclusively told The Associated Press that Carla Hayden<\/strong> will join the humanities grantmaker as a senior fellow whose duties will include advising on efforts to advance public knowledge through libraries and archives.<\/div>\n
As of July 1, Jason Geary<\/strong> became provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Rutgers University-New Brunswick<\/a><\/strong>. A highly respected musicologist and veteran university administrator, Geary has been dean of Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers since 2020. He succeeds Saundra Tomlinson-Clarke, in the position since September 2023. As an academic leader, he has been a strong advocate for the transformative power of the arts in research universities and has led initiatives that cross academic disciplines and connect students with communities.<\/div>\n
The board of Wexford Festival<\/a><\/strong> Trust has appointed Suzanne Nance<\/strong> as its new executive director as of January 1, 2026. She succeeds Loughlin Deegan, who has served in an interim capacity since Randall Shannon\u2019s four-year contract as executive director ended (abruptly) in February of 2025. Nance joins the Opera Festival, founded in Wexford on the southeastern coast of Ireland in 1951, from Portland, Oregon. Initially hired in 2015 as program director at KQAC classical radio, she became president and CEO three years later of the newly reconfigured Global Media Arts Network All Classical Radio.<\/div>\n
Opera in the Heights<\/a><\/strong> (OH!), the Houston-based regional opera company, has appointed Kathryn Frady<\/strong> as its interim general director, with immediate effect. She succeeds Eiki Isomura, who will continue as the company\u2019s music director. A native Texan, Frady earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Opera Performance from the University of North Texas and has completed leadership and fundraising certifications through Cornell University, Boston University, and Opera America.<\/div>\n
The Birmingham (UK) Opera Company<\/a><\/strong> has named Seb Lovell-Huckle<\/strong> as its new general manager. He joins the company after previous service as CEO of the English Symphony Orchestra, executive director of Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and management roles at the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and City of London Sinfonia.<\/div>\n
David Finckel and Wu Han will hand their joint artistic directorship of Music@Menlo<\/a><\/strong> to another husband-and-wife, cellist-pianist duo: Dmitri Atapine<\/strong> and pianist Hyeyeon Park<\/strong>, frequent M@M guests, will take over with the 2027 season, the organization\u2019s 25th anniversary. Also artistic directors of Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, the Russia-born Atapine and Korean pianist Park are tenured professors at the University of Nevada, Reno, as well as founding directors of Apex Concerts in Reno. Apart from early training in their respective homelands, the two both hold Masters Degrees from Yale University\u2019s School of Music.<\/div>\n
June 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Ina Karr<\/strong>, artistic director and CEO of the Lucerne Theater, will make history when she becomes the first woman to be general director of Deutsche Oper am Rhein<\/a><\/strong> as of 2027-28. The news of her five-year appointment was announced by the state capital of D\u00fcsseldorf, the city of Duisburg, and the Friends of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein.<\/div>\n
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) Jazz Arts<\/a><\/strong> division, soon to enter its 41st year as an MSM degree-granting department, has announced that composer\/saxophonist James (Jim) Saltzman<\/strong>, a longtime faculty member, is to be its next dean of Jazz Arts. On July 1, he succeeds trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, in the job five years; she will remain on the MSM faculty. Saltzman started his teaching at MSM in 2011 in the precollege division and moved to Jazz Arts four years later. As performer he has worked with major jazz artists including James Moody and Jon Faddis and he is seen as a strong role model among students.<\/div>\n
The Music Institute of Chicago<\/a><\/strong> (MIC) has announced that Shalisa Kline Ugaz<\/strong> will join the organization as its next president and CEO on July 7. She succeeds Mark George, who resigned after a 15-year tenure this past February. Founded in 1931, the MIC is a community music school that serves over 2,000 students on six campuses located in Chicago, Downers Grove, Evanston, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, and Winnetka. Ugaz has more than two decades of leadership experience in music education and nonprofit management.<\/div>\n
Beginning July 15, Maureen O\u2019Brien<\/strong> will be the new chief executive officer for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CSO). She succeeds Denise Rehg, who held the position for seven years before stepping down in August 2024. O\u2019Brien arrives to head the Ohio ensemble from Miami, where she has served as executive vice president for institutional advancement of the New World Symphony for the past decade. During her tenure, she developed and executed a $150 million comprehensive campaign and led a team of 30 responsible for a $12 million annual fund, public relations, communications, marketing, audience engagement, and guest services. Her new position adds education to her remit, as well as artistic planning in collaboration with Music Director Rossen Milanov.<\/div>\n
On the eve of its 40th-anniversary season, the Miami City Ballet<\/a><\/strong> has selected Gonzalo Garcia<\/strong> as its new artistic director, effective August 11, 2025. He succeeds Lourdes Lopez, who unexpectedly stepped down at the end of the 2024-25 season after 13 years with the company. Garcia joins the Miami company after an illustrious 25-year career, ten with the San Francisco Ballet, where he rose to become principal dancer, and 15 with the New York City Ballet (NYCB) where his interpretations of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins masterworks won acclaim. \u201cGonzalo brings with him deep relationships with many of the world\u2019s most prominent choreographers,\u201d notes Miami City Board Chair Jeff Davis.<\/div>\n
With the announcement of the retirement of General Director Patrick Corrigan of the Op\u00e9ra de Montr\u00e9al<\/a><\/strong> as of Nov. 1, after a ten-year tenure, the company\u2019s board of directors has turned to Jean-Pierre Primiani<\/strong>, currently chief philanthropy officer, to be his successor. Primiani first joined the company in 2011, and left to lead individual philanthropy at the Orchestre symphonique de Montr\u00e9al for three seasons. He returned to the Op\u00e9ra de Montr\u00e9al at the beginning of Patrick Corrigan\u2019s tenure, and for the past several years has been groomed as the outgoing general director\u2019s successor.<\/div>\n
As of July 1, Diane Reich<\/strong> is to become the new Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University<\/a><\/strong>. She succeeds Ed Adams, who has held the post since 2015. The new dean has been director of the BYU School of Music and since 2007 a professor of voice. She has previously taught at and been the director of opera at Central Washington University.<\/div>\n
Kate Schimmer<\/strong>, former director of strategic initiatives at The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts, is the new associate dean for artistic planning at the Eastman School of Music<\/a><\/strong>, a new post. She will work with Dean Kate Sheeran and others in planning concerts, festivals, conferences, and collaborating intramurally. Schimmer is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Tufts University, and the New England Conservatory.<\/div>\n
The Charlottesville Symphony Society<\/a><\/strong> (CSS) has appointed Carolyn Keurajian<\/strong> as its new executive director. She succeeds Janet Kaltenbach, who held the post for more than 16 years. Keurajian joins the CSS from Williamsburg, where she has been president & CEO of The Williamsburg Symphony Orchestra since 2013. She holds a B.A. in business from the University of Puget Sound, studied music at the University of North Texas, and performed in ensembles throughout the New York metropolitan area. Her skill set includes arts education, event production, marketing, and corporate sales, and she has held leadership roles at Musicians in the Making, Jack Morton Worldwide, and Up with People.<\/div>\n
Bobby Pape<\/strong> is to be the new executive director of the Erie Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, where he succeeds Steve Weiser, who is now a vice president at the Erie Community Foundation. Pape has over 15 years of experience in the nonprofit performing arts sector, most recently as executive director of Blue Heron, a professional early music chamber ensemble based in Boston, since 2023. Previously he oversaw development and marketing as a senior member of the leadership team at the Albany (NY) Symphony. He began his career in arts management at the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.<\/div>\n
Arizona Opera<\/a><\/strong> has named Brian DeMaris<\/strong> as its new president and general director, with immediate effect. He succeeds Joseph Specter, in the position from 2016 to 2025. The new man is no stranger to the Arizona arts community, having served as professor and artistic director of music theater and opera at Arizona State University since 2015 and having previously conducted productions for the company.<\/div>\n
Noted composer J\u00f6rg Widmann<\/strong> is to be the next artistic director of the Lucerne Festival Academy<\/a><\/strong>, effective January of 2026. He succeeds Wolfgang Rihm, who died in July of 2024. The news was announced today by Sebastian Nordmann, who is succeeding Michael Haefliger as executive and artistic director of Lucerne Festival, also next January. Nordmann will announce 2026 programming at the official start date of his term. The current season was planned by Rihm; the focus is the centennial of the birth of Pierre Boulez, who founded the Academy in 2004 with Haefliger.<\/div>\n
Soprano Julia Bullock<\/strong> has been selected to direct the 2026 Cincinnati May Festival<\/a><\/strong>. Recognized for both her artistic achievements and her commitment to the power of community engagement in the arts, she will collaborate with the Festival\u2019s Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson to curate a series of concerts and activities informed by her own artistic vision as well as the Festival\u2019s 150-year history.<\/div>\n
May 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Mette Bryndum<\/strong> is the new executive director of the Moab Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>. A native of Copenhagen, and now a resident of Moab, Utah, Bryndum will team with Tessa Lark, the Festival\u2019s artistic director and renowned violinist. Lark wrote of her new colleague, \u201cShe is exceptionally qualified to support the Festival\u2019s unique combination of presenting chamber music of the highest order in some of the world\u2019s most precious landscapes.\u201d<\/div>\n
Lee Koonce<\/strong> has been chosen as the inaugural executive director of the 34-member Fenimore Chamber Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, located in Cooperstown, NY. The four-year-old ensemble, founded during the pandemic, presents a five-concert season under Artistic Director Maciej Zoltowski. Koonce has been the president and artistic director, and later senior advisor, of the Gateways Music Festival in Rochester since 2016.<\/div>\n
The Boston Conservatory at Berklee<\/a><\/strong> has named Kevin Haden<\/strong> as its new dean of music, effective July 1. He succeeds Michael Shinn, who was named executive director last October 2024 and to whom Haden will now report, overseeing a faculty of 125 and nearly 400 undergraduate and graduate students. He arrives from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he was senior associate dean of strategic engagement and institutional excellence.<\/div>\n
Opera Las Vegas<\/a><\/strong> (OLV) has named Cecilia \u201cCeci\u201d Violetta L\u00f3pez<\/strong> as general director and CEO effective July 1, 2025. She is the fifth general director in the history of the 27-year-old company. An Idaho native who studied music education and vocal performance at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, the Mexican-American soprano, will relinquish her position as Opera Idaho\u2019s first artistic adviser. She succeeds outgoing OLV General Director Jim Sohre, who is transitioning to the position of artistic director.<\/div>\n
The Juilliard School<\/a><\/strong> has selected Melissa Toogood<\/strong> as the new dean and director of its dance division, beginning July 1. She succeeds Alicia Graf Mack, who is to become the artistic director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Toogood, who currently lives in Australia, studied dance at in New World School of the Arts in Miami and both danced with the Merce Cunningham company and taught at its school until both closed in 2011.<\/div>\n
Sidney P. Jackson<\/strong>, VP of development at the New Jersey Symphony, is to be the next president and CEO of the Chicago Sinfonietta<\/a><\/strong>. Jackson has been with the New Jersey orchestra in various capacities for three years. Previously he worked in fund raising for Immigration Equality, the New York Urban League, Helpusadopt.com, and the Harlem School of the Arts, among others.<\/div>\n
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis<\/a><\/strong> (OTSL) has appointed Patricia Racette<\/strong> as the company\u2019s artistic director, effective October 1, 2025. She succeeds James Robinson, in the post from 2009 to 2024, now general and artistic director of the Seattle Opera. The internationally acclaimed soprano, no stranger to the company, has headed OTSL\u2019s Young Artist Programs since 2019, and made important appearances there in her early career, as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni<\/i> in 1993 and Iphigenia in Iphigenia In Tauris<\/i> a year later.<\/div>\n
After three years as president and executive director of Baryshnikov Arts, Sonja Kostich<\/strong> will leave as of July 31 to become executive director of Houston Ballet<\/a><\/strong>. She succeeds Jim Nelson, who has worked for the company for 25 years, the last 12 as the chief executive. Kostich brings to her new position experience as a performer as well as a master\u2019s in arts administration that led to leadership positions with Goldman Sachs, Mark Morris Dance Group, New York City Center, and Kaatsbaan Cultural Park.<\/div>\n
Gillian Fox<\/strong>, executive director of Newport Classical music festival and chamber series, is to be the next president and CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and Arts<\/a><\/strong>. She arrives from a concert series based in the mansions and historic sites in and around Newport, RI, to a multi-genre event on the 90-acre Rosen estate in Katonah, NY. Fox has been with Newport since 2021 and was previously with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as director of the multidisciplinary SOLUNA Festival and Contemporary Programs.<\/div>\n
Jazz at Lincoln Center<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Tatyana Gershkovich<\/strong> to be its new CFO, succeeding Susan Gordon, who retired last year. Gershkovich is the recent VP and CFO of American Express\u2019s Global Services Group & Enterprise Functions and arrives at JLC as it embarks on a new strategic plan. She reports to Executive Director Greg Scholl and will work with Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis and the board.<\/div>\n
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (DSO) has a new VP of marketing in Kelly Striewski<\/strong>, who arrives today from a similar post with the Country Music Association in Nashville. She will oversee brand awareness, audience growth, and ticket revenue, and create partnerships within the area, assuring the orchestra\u2019s close involvement with the community. She reports to VP and Chief Revenue Officer Jill Elder and succeeds Charles Buchanan, who left the DSO last year to become director of marketing at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.<\/div>\n
The Houston Symphony<\/a><\/strong> announced the appointment of Alex Soares<\/strong> to the position of chief marketing officer, following his successful tenure as Interim CMO since 2024. His permanent appointment comes at the close of a high-performing season marked by record ticketing revenue, revitalized subscription sales, and expanded audience engagement.<\/div>\n
April 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Under its new Executive Director and CEO Gary Ginstling, the Houston Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has tapped one of Ginstling\u2019s former colleagues as its new chief development officer. Arriving from June after two years in a similar post at the Cape Town (SA) Opera, Jennifer Renner<\/strong> is to oversee and grow the orchestra\u2019s annual fund-raising goal of more than $22 million. Houston is apparently in the second of a five-year strategic plan.<\/div>\n
The Wallace Foundation<\/a><\/strong>, a major funder of the arts ($40 million over the last six years), has named Jean S. Desravines<\/strong> to succeed Will Miller as president as of September. Miller, in the job 14 years, announced last June that he would be leaving the independent foundation, reported by ProPublica as having $1.7 billion in assets as of 2023. Desravines, who grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant and East Flatbush neighborhoods of Brooklyn, NY, has for 14 years been the CEO of New Leaders, a 20-year-old organization whose goal is “to develop \u201ctransformational school leaders who are committed to the success of every child.\u201d<\/div>\n
Ryan Fleur<\/strong> is the new president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, moving into the role permanently after nearly four months as interim. He succeeds Math\u00edas Tarnopolsky, now president and CEO of the NY Phil, and with whom Fleur collaborated in the 2021 Philadelphia Orchestra-Kimmel Center merger now known as Ensemble Arts. Fleur, 53, has been with the orchestra for 13 years and has served as interim before, between Allison Vulgamore\u2019s exit in December 2017 and Tarnopolsky\u2019s arrival in August 2018. He moves into the top job as the orchestra prepares to celebrate its 125th anniversary next season and the Kimmel Center\u2019s 25th.<\/div>\n
In Los Angeles, Michael Beckerman<\/strong> has been named as the new dean of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music<\/a><\/strong> as of Oct. 1. He arrives from New York University, where he has been a professor of music and department chair for more than a decade. At UCLA he succeeds Eileen Strempel, who has served as dean since 2019. Beckerman earned his bachelor\u2019s in music from Hofstra University and his MA, MPhil, and PhD from Columbia University.<\/div>\n
James Santilli<\/strong>, former chief marketing officer for the Pittsburgh Penguins, is the new senior VP and \u201cchief revenue and experience officer\u201d (CREO) for the Pittsburgh Symphony<\/a><\/strong>. He will plot strategies to generate revenue and \u201censure an exceptional audience experience,\u201d therein overseeing marketing and communications, guest experiences, Heinz Hall Presents, and corporate support. The CREO position is a new one, according to Pittsburgh Symphony President and CEO Melia Tourangeau. She called it \u201can essential evolution for our long-term growth. James brings incredible insight from his time in the professional sports world.\u201d<\/div>\n
New York-based music critic Fred Cohn<\/strong> is the new features editor of the Musical America<\/a><\/strong> International Directory of the Performing Arts<\/i>. He succeeds Clive Paget, in the job for five years. Paget, now based in London, will continue to contribute news and reviews to the Musical America website. Cohn, who writes and consults for a number of classical music organizations, is the former editor of Opera America Magazine<\/i> and a regular reviewer for Musical America, among other publications. As MA features editor, he will oversee the annual Musical America Awards as well as assign and edit the Awardees\u2019 tribute articles, which appear in the annual International Directory of the Performing Arts<\/i>, now published in a digital edition posted on Musical America.com.<\/div>\n
Barbara Lynne Jamison<\/strong>, current general director & CEO of Kentucky Opera, is to take the same post with Opera Colorado<\/a><\/strong>, effective August 1. She succeeds Greg Carpenter, who exits May 30 after two decades with the company. Holding a master\u2019s degree in vocal performance from the Manhattan School of Music, Jamison has been with Kentucky Opera since 2018 and is credited with expanding the repertoire and strengthening community ties. The company has a budget of $2.4 million and presents 12 performances of four productions per season. Her new position, to which she will be transitioning as Carpenter prepares his exit, oversees a budget of $3.7 million and offers nine performances of two operas in the 2,225-seat Ellie Caulkins Opera House.<\/div>\n
Christopher Jenkins<\/strong> is to succeed Brian Pertl as dean of Lawrence University\u2019s Conservatory of Music<\/a><\/strong>, in Appleton, WI. He starts July 1. Pertl, in the job 17 years, is headed to a similar position at Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. Jenkins joins Lawrence from Oberlin College and Conservatory, where as associate dean for academic support since 2014 he has played a major role in expanding the curriculum. While at Oberlin, he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in viola performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a PhD in musicology from Case Western Reserve University.<\/div>\n
The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, now in its 80th year, has tapped Janet Reihle<\/strong> as its new president and executive director. A native Mississippian, she will also oversee the orchestra\u2019s Premier Orchestral Institute (P0I) and Summer Music Festival. She arrives from the Riehle Chamber of Flowood & Visitor Center, where she was executive director. Her previous postings included work in nonprofits, development, community building and tourism in central Mississippi.<\/div>\n
Two Colorado orchestras have new executive directors as of April 1: Sarah Parkinson<\/strong> at the Longmont Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> and Wendy Fanning<\/strong> at the Fort Collins Symphony<\/a><\/strong>. Parkinson arrived from the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra, where she served as executive director after a stint as director of education and community engagement and is widely credited with assuring the organization\u2019s financial stability during the pandemic. A collaborative pianist who performs throughout the state, she earned an MM from New England Conservatory of Music and a DMA from Colorado University-Boulder College of Music.<\/div>\n
The Naumburg Orchestral Concerts<\/a><\/strong>, which claim to be \u201cthe oldest continuously running free outdoor classical concert series in the world,\u201d has appointed a new executive director in Anthony Bracewell<\/strong>. Longtime president Christopher London, grandson of founder Elkan Naumburg, will stay on initially as an advisor to ensure a smooth transition. The concerts, founded in 1905, are performed in summer in Central Park\u2019s Naumburg Bandshell\u2014now an historic structure after being threatened with the wrecking ball in 1993. London led the opposition, while the Central Park Conservancy ultimately financed the structure\u2019s update and restoration, completed in 2003.<\/div>\n
Nicholas Walls<\/strong> is the new chief advancement officer at the Music Academy of the West<\/a><\/strong>; he succeeds Jodi Barnard, who retired in January. Walls, who started March 31, most recently served as senior director of philanthropy at the Seattle Symphony, where he is credited with leading an $8.5 million+ annual individual giving program that included a $3 million gift; he is said to have presided over \u201csignificant revenue growth\u201d during his four-year tenure. Previously he was director of major gifts at The Philadelphia Orchestra for three years.<\/div>\n
As of June 2025, Jes\u00fas Herrera<\/strong> will assume the role of artistic director for the London Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Elena Dubinets, who joins the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as its new artistic director on May 1, 2025. In the post, Herrera will work alongside the LPO\u2019s CEO David Burke, and collaborate closely with Principal Conductor Edward Gardner, Principal Guest Conductor Karina Canellakis, and Conductor Emeritus Vladimir Jurowski. Since April 2024 Herrera has been director, creative partnerships & projects at Intermusica, where he had earlier spent two years as an artist manager from 2018 to 2020.<\/div>\n
March 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Monica Meyer Beale<\/strong>, recent VP of advancement for the Milwaukee Symphony, is to join the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (PSO) as senior VP and chief development officer in April. She succeeds Mary Anne Talotta, who left in the fall for a similar post at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts. After working as coordinator of education and community programs Meyer Beale progressed to assistant director of marketing. She subsequently worked for the Virginia Symphony as VP and chief revenue officer and interim executive director.<\/div>\n
In a move to enhance its advocacy efforts on behalf of music creators living in the world today, the American Composers Forum<\/a><\/strong> (ACF) has named Loki Karuna<\/strong> as executive director, beginning on June 10, 2025, and Vanessa Rose<\/strong>, who has led the organization since 2019, as CEO. Founded in 1973 by composers Libby Larsen and Stephen Paulus as the Minnesota Composers Forum, the ACF has in recent years centered its efforts on its commitment to racial equity.<\/div>\n
Italy\u2019s Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli has appointed Nicola Colabianchi<\/strong> as superintendent of the Fondazione Teatro La Fenice<\/a><\/strong>. He arrives after five years in the same post with the Cagliari Lirico. Colabianchi succeeds Fortunato Ortombina, who now oversees Teatro alla Scala, where he succeeded Dominque Meyer.<\/div>\n
Violinist Nicola Benedetti has announced Paul Fitzpatrick<\/strong> as the first chief executive of her five-year-old music education initiative, the Benedetti Foundation<\/a><\/strong>, effective May 12. He is the current director of creative engagement\u2014essentially education and community in-reach\u2014for the National Theater of Scotland. Fitzpatrick holds a BA in dramatic studies from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music, and an MPhil in Dramaturgy (with distinction) from the University of Glasgow.<\/div>\n
Matthew Lutton<\/strong> is to be the new artistic director of the Adelaide Festival<\/a><\/strong>, with a three-year contract beginning in 2026. He succeeds Brett Sheehy, whose association with the festival dates to 2003. For the past nine years, Lutton has been artistic director and co-CEO of Melbourne\u2019s Malthouse Theatre, where he has been responsible for reinterpreting classic works of theater, opera, and dance. He has a wealth of experience collaborating at the global level with, among others, the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh, the Lyric Hammersmith in London, and the Barbican.<\/div>\n
February 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (ASO) has appointed Erica Bondarev Rapach<\/strong>, who has been serving as executive director in an interim capacity since September of 2024, to the position permanently as of March 1, 2025. The aspiring violinist has held a number of positions in the nonprofit world, including stints at The Washington Ballet, Theater Alliance of DC, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and the .ART domain registry. She has also been an adjunct faculty member in American University\u2019s Graduate Arts Management program.<\/div>\n
Anthony Mazzocchi<\/strong>, a trombonist and former director of the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University, has succeeded Kate Sheeran as executive director of the Kaufman Music Center<\/a><\/strong>. Mazzocchi, whose orchestra credits include the New Jersey Symphony and Broadway pit bands, is also co-executive director of the Kinhaven Music School and camp in Vermont. He is especially known for his TED talk, \u201cWhat Can a Trombone Choir Teach the World About Collaboration.\u201d<\/div>\n
Segerstrom Center for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Limor Tomer<\/strong> to succeed Judy Morr as vice president of programming and production. In January Tomer arrived in Southern California, trailing an impeccable reputation for her work as general manager of Live Arts for 13 years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. A Juilliard-trained pianist known for her avant-garde sensibility, Tomer was a presenter and a producer whose approach was both bold and interdisciplinary. Her work at the Met transformed a fairly traditional concert series into experimental performances in unexpected spaces like the Temple of Dendur, where Philip Glass and violinist Tim Fain gave a site-specific concert.<\/div>\n
The Naxos Music Group<\/a><\/strong> has made a number of changes in its senior management. Matthias Lutzweiler<\/strong>, who has been acting CEO since last October, is now the permanent chief executive officer, effective immediately. Jeffrey Lien<\/strong>, CEO of Naxos of America, now assumes the role of global deputy CEO, and Iwen Schmees<\/strong>, currently CEO of Naxos Deutschland, will become global chief operating officer (COO). Additional senior management appointments will be announced in the coming weeks.<\/div>\n
Natalie Johnsonius Neubert<\/strong>, recent executive director of the Berkshire Music School, is to be president and CEO of the Berkshire Opera Festival<\/a><\/strong>, coming up on its tenth anniversary season next summer. She succeeds Abigail Rollins, who served as the festival\u2019s executive director from 2019 until July 2024. Johnsonius Neubert\u2019s previous positions include director of development for Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. She has also worked in marketing and administration with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Dublin International Fringe Festival, and Performance Space New York (formerly P.S. 122), among others. She holds BA and BFA degrees from Sarah Lawrence College.<\/div>\n
January 2025<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Boston\u2019s Longwood Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (LSO) has appointed Hannah Collins<\/strong>, associate professor and string area coordinator at the University of Kansas School of Music, as its executive director. LSO, which seeks to combine the healing arts of music and medicine, is mostly comprised of healthcare professionals, including medical students, therapists, and caregivers, many of whom pursued advanced musical studies before turning to medicine. Collins holds an MM and Artistic Diploma from Yale and a DMA from the City University of New York.<\/div>\n
Sean Campbell<\/strong>, recent artistic planning manager for the Chamber Music Society (CMS) of Lincoln Center, is to be the new executive director of Emerald City Music<\/a><\/strong> (ECM), a ten-year-old chamber music presenter based in Seattle. ECM offers seven programs in a variety of venues\u2014small concert hall to lounge with open bar\u2014and was founded with a commitment to eclecticism by Artistic Director Kristin Lee. Campbell starts February 3.<\/div>\n
The South Bend (IN) Symphony<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s executive director Justus Zimmerman stepped down last month to take the same job with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. South Bend has appointed its director of marketing, Sarah Perschbacher<\/strong>, as interim. She studied at Indiana University South Bend from which she holds master\u2019s and bachelor\u2019s degrees as well as a graduate certificate in Strategic Sustainability Leadership.<\/div>\n
Robert McGrath<\/strong>, COO of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CSO) is to succeed Jonathan Martin as president and CEO as of February 17. Martin, one of Musical America\u2019s Top 30 Professionals of the Year, announced his retirement last fall. McGrath, who holds a BM in bassoon performance from the New England Conservatory, arrived at the orchestra in 2011 as VP and general manager, having previously worked with the St. Louis and Boston symphonies, among others.<\/div>\n
Amanda Smith<\/strong> has been named president & CEO of Honens<\/strong><\/a>, only this time it\u2019s permanent. The organization\u2019s director of marketing and communications for the last seven years, Smith last held the CEO post on an interim basis, in 2022-23 between the time that Neil Edwards stepped down and John Kieser arrived. But Kieser stayed in the role just 15 months, having resigned last November, so Honens turned to Smith again, this time permanently. In addition to marketing and communications, Smith has played an active role in community education initiatives. Prior to Honens she was a consultant.<\/div>\n
Gary Ginstling<\/strong> was hired as CEO of the Houston Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, six months following his surprise departure from the New York Philharmonic after just one year in charge. Ginstling will start Feb. 3 and replace John Mangum, who had been Houston\u2019s CEO since 2018 and left in September to succeed Anthony Freud as general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Ginstling worked for the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony before becoming general manager of the Cleveland Orchestra (2008-13), CEO of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (2013-17), and executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra (2017-22).<\/div>\n
The Moab Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>, coming up on its 33rd anniversary of indoor\/outdoor concerts amid Utah\u2019s red rocks, has announced the exit of cofounding directors Michael Barrett and Leslie Tomkins and the arrival of violinist Tessa Lark<\/strong> as the event\u2019s artistic director. Barrett and Tomkins take the title of emeriti. One of Musical America\u2019s earliest New Artists of the Month, the Kentucky-born Lark won the Naumburg International Violin Competition in 2012 and has since taken top prizes at other such events. A recitalist and chamber musician, she has performed as a soloist with countless orchestras, from the Seattle Symphony to the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.<\/div>\n
December 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Mellon Foundation<\/a><\/strong> has appointed a new program director for arts and culture to succeed Emil J. Kang. Deana Haggag<\/strong>, a program officer, has been with the Foundation since 2021, and will oversee all the arts and culture grant-making. According to the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation has an endowment of $7.9 billion and is the largest private source of arts, culture, and humanities funding in the United States. Grants can range up to $7 million and sometimes more.<\/div>\n
Amanda Robie<\/strong> has been promoted from managing director to executive director of Opera Saratoga<\/a><\/strong>, a position that sees her working closely with Mary Birnbaum, general and artistic director. A resident of Saratoga Springs, Robie has sung professionally as a mezzo soprano, including Opera Saratoga; other administrative experience includes stints with the Boston Opera Collaborative, Fort Worth Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera.<\/div>\n
Kerttu Piirto<\/strong>, longtime executive director and producer of the Helsinki Baroque Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, and formerly of the Orchester Wiener Akademie, starts as executive director of Finland\u2019s Time of Music Festival as of January 1. Time of Music is one of the country\u2019s oldest contemporary music festivals, holding many partnerships within the EU\u2019s Creative Europe networks. Johan Tallgren serves as artistic director.<\/div>\n
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia<\/a><\/strong> has named Spanish-born violinist Francisco Fullana<\/strong> to the newly created post of artistic advisor, with immediate effect. His appointment comes just two months after David Hayes arrived as music director. Fullana is scheduled to lead a week of works by Glass, Piazzolla, and Vivaldi in March. Fullana is active as a soloist on the European festival circuit and with Stateside orchestras such as the Indianapolis and Phoenix symphonies.<\/div>\n
On Jan. 1, 2025, Robert Suttman<\/strong> will succeed Sara Cutler as president of Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians<\/a><\/strong>. Suttman, who ran unopposed, is a trombonist who has played in 95 Broadway pit bands, most recently on the tour of Beetlejuice<\/i>, and is longtime trombonist of the Big Apple Circus. The largest local union of professional musicians in the world, 802 is the greater New York chapter of AFM, whose membership includes professional musicians from the New York Philharmonic to Broadway pit bands to string quartets to bars, arenas, recording studios, and TV shows. \u201cI am honored to lead this powerful union,\u201d Suttman said of his election.<\/div>\n
The Chicago Sinfonietta<\/a><\/strong> has announced an interim CEO effective January 1. She is Wendy Lewis<\/strong>, founder and CEO of an LLC bearing her name that specializes in DEI. Lewis, on the Sinfonietta\u2019s board of directors, is also executive producer of the documentary Beyond Their Years, The Incredible Legacies of Herb Carnegie and Buck O\u2019Neil<\/i> and onetime global chief DEI officer and VP of community engagement for McDonald\u2019s. She held similar roles with Major League Baseball.<\/div>\n
The College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University<\/a><\/strong> (CMU) has announced a new head of the school of music in Milton Rub\u00e9n Laufer<\/strong>, starting July 1 and reporting into CFA Dean Mary Ellen Poole. Laufer succeeds Jonathan Bailey Howard, who took over in August of 2022 and about one year later moved on to become dean of the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.<\/div>\n
The Los Angeles Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has announced that the orchestra\u2019s next chief philanthropy officer is Mitch Bassion<\/strong>, currently in that position with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Philly, and in fact instrumental in facilitating that merger in 2021. In his current position, Bassion presides over a staff of 28 and is credited with overseeing over $220 million in funds raised. Previously he has worked in senior posts with Washington Performing Arts, Los Angeles Conservancy, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, and Lyric Opera of Chicago.<\/div>\n
Terry D. Loftis<\/strong>, who joined the Dallas Symphony Orchestra two years ago as chief advancement officer, is to be the next president and CEO of the New Jersey Symphony<\/a><\/strong>. He is succeeding Gabriel van Aalst, who left in September to become president and CEO of Dayton Live, the performing arts presenter that serves Ohio\u2019s Miami Valley. Loftis starts in March; Board Co-chair Craig Silliman has been serving as interim. In his brief stint in Dallas, Loftis, 57, is credited with securing a $10 million endowment gift, among other fund-raising accomplishments; he also oversaw marketing, special events, and analytics. Previously he was president and executive director of TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) in Dallas, of which he is a native.<\/div>\n
Dickon Stainer, chairman of Universal Music Group\u2019s Global Classics & Jazz<\/a><\/strong> (GCJ) division, has announced two major personnel moves. Clemens Trautmann<\/strong>, president of Deutsche Grammophon for the past nine years, will immediately assume the additional responsibility for New Business Strategy, Global Classics. Going forward, his remit calls for him to strengthen UMG\u2019s market dominance in the classical genre by promoting collaboration among the company\u2019s many labels and artist rosters. Natasha Baldwin<\/strong> immediately fills the newly created position of president, Global Classics, Jazz & Screen. As executive vice president of Classics & Screen since 2021, she has overseen Universal Music Publishing Group\u2019s global classical and screen composer businesses. She will continue that work while also assuming responsibility for GCJ\u2019s classical and jazz record labels, including Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, Blue Note, Verve, Hyperion, and ECM.<\/div>\n
November 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Netia Jones<\/strong> is to become associate director of The Royal Opera<\/a><\/strong>, a newly created position designed to lead opera programming in the Linbury Theater. She will be responsible for commissioning and creating projects for the Linbury as well as working with Oliver Mears, the company\u2019s director, to oversee artistic output, especially with regard to new works. She will also take the lead in advocating for the role the Royal Opera and Linbury Theater will play as a leading source of research and development for the opera ecosystem.<\/div>\n
Olivier Leymarie<\/strong>, managing director of the Ensemble intercontemporain, is to become the deputy general director of the Festival d\u2019Aix en Provence<\/a><\/strong> as of January 29, 2025. He succeeds Fran\u00e7ois Vienne, who left in March 2024 and becomes the storied event\u2019s second in command to General Director Pierre Audi. Leymarie will have no artistic responsibilities; his remit is strictly administrative, financial, and institutional.<\/div>\n
The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, currently in its 75th-anniversary season, has appointed Melissa MacDonald<\/strong> to succeed Rebecca Herbert as executive director. The orchestra, comprised of professional musicians and performing about six concerts annually, also recently announced the departure of its Music Director Christopher Dragon at the end of the current season. The Australian conductor is the new music director of the Greensboro (NC) Symphony.<\/div>\n
The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama<\/a><\/strong> (RWCMD) has named Dame Shirley Bassey<\/strong> to a three-year term as the institution\u2019s president. She succeeds HM King Charles, who held the position while Prince of Wales. The position is an honorary one in which the incumbent supports the College\u2019s position as Wales\u2019s national conservatory and promotes it as a training ground for those interested in the creative arts of music and dance. Bassey has been an RWCMD Fellow and a supporter of the college since underwriting a singing scholarship in her name. In 2016 the school named the Dame Shirley Bassey Studio in recognition of her generosity.<\/div>\n
In Spring 2025, Andrew Moore<\/strong> will become artistic director of the Royal College of Music<\/a><\/strong> (RCM). He will succeed Stephen Johns, who steps down after 14 years. Moore will arrive in London from Scotland\u2019s capital city, where he has been head of music for the Edinburgh International Festival for over a decade. In his role with the festival, he oversaw a broad range of programming while developing relationships with major international orchestras and artists. Prior to Edinburgh, Moore held positions with the Melbourne Symphony, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Royal Northern Sinfonia.<\/div>\n
Beat Fehlmann<\/strong> is to succeed Drazen Domjanic as artistic and managing director of the Liechtenstein Music Academy<\/a><\/strong> upon the latter\u2019s retirement on Sept. 1, 2025. Domjanic has been in the post for 15 years, and will serve as an adviser to his successor as well as a member of the organization\u2019s board of trustees. Fehlmann\u2019s new responsibilities include managing both the Music Academy and its Esperanza Ensemble. He comes to his new post from the German State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate, where he is artistic director. Earlier positions include artistic director of the Southwest German Philharmonic in Konstanz as well as stints at the Graub\u00fcnden Chamber Philharmonic and the Philharmonie of Nations.<\/div>\n
Welz Kauffman has left The Old Town School of Folk Music<\/a><\/strong>, citing personal family reasons. Troy Anderson<\/strong>, currently senior director of education, succeeds Kauffman, who had joined the organization following a national search. CEO of the Ravinia Festival from 2000 through 2020, Kauffman was most recently head of the Tucson Festival of Books before returning to Chicago.Anderson joined Old Town School in July 2023, after more than ten years as executive director of the Chicago Center for Music Education. Previous posts include leadership roles at the West Loop-based Merit School of Music and the David Adler Music and Arts Center.<\/div>\n
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has tapped Elena Dubinets<\/strong> to be its new artistic director as of May 1, 2025. She succeeds Ulrike Niehoff, in the post since January 2021, and will join Managing Director Dominik Winterling and Director of Operations David Bazen to comprise the orchestra\u2019s Managing Board. More than two years ago, in June 2022, the Royal Concertgebouw signed Klaus M\u00e4kel\u00e4 to become its chief conductor as of 2027. Dubinets, named one of Musical America\u2019s Professionals of the Year in 2018, is currently the artistic director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has previously held top artistic positions at the Atlanta and Seattle symphony orchestras.<\/div>\n
The Boston Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has named Derek Beckvold<\/strong> as its new managing director. He succeeds Elisabeth Christensen, a 12-year veteran of the orchestra who was instrumental in creating the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (BPYO). Beckvold has worked with the organization for nearly eight years, first as education and community engagement manager and more recently as development officer. A multi-talented administrator, educator, performer, composer, and conductor, the new managing director concertized extensively across five continents after receiving a degree from New England Conservatory. Beckvold will work with Music Director Benjamin Zander, who founded the organization in 1979, to oversee both the Boston Philharmonic and the Youth Orchestra.<\/div>\n
Scottish Ensemble<\/a><\/strong>, the Glasgow-based collective, has appointed James Hardie<\/strong> as its new chief executive, effective January of 2025. He follows Catherine Ferrell, who has been serving in an interim capacity since the departure of Jenny Jamison, who joined the National Center for Music in Edinburgh after five years at the helm of the Ensemble. Hardie, born and raised in Edinburgh, is currently executive director of The Marian Consort and music programmer at the Norfolk & Norwich Festival. During his six-year tenure, he has expanded the Consort\u2019s reputation and reach, with debuts at the BBC Proms, Ravenna Festival, Miller Theatre New York, and Bunka Kaikan Recital Hall Tokyo.<\/div>\n
October 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Limor Tomer<\/strong>, general manager of Live Arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the last 13 years, is to be the new VP of programming and production at Orange County\u2019s Segerstrom Center for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> as of January 2025. Casey Reitz, the Center\u2019s president and CEO, praised Tomer as a \u201cdynamo\u201d whose \u201cextraordinary blend of talents as an artist, programmer, educator and producer brings precisely the vision and expertise we need to propel the Center forward.\u201d Tomer essentially revolutionized performance programming at the Museum, curating events for the 700-seat auditorium as well as its galleries and public spaces, including the Cloisters.<\/div>\n
Blake-Anthony Johnson<\/strong>, who has brought the Chicago Sinfonietta to national prominence during his five years as president and CEO, is stepping down to be CEO of the 50-year-old New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation<\/a><\/strong> (NOJHF). He exits Chicago, where he also co-chairs the City\u2019s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Advisory Council, on January 1, 2025. In New Orleans, Johnson will be succeeding Don Marshall, who is retiring after two decades in the role; the two will work together during the initial transition. NOJHF is the umbrella organization to the Jazz Fest, Heritage School of Music, Jazz and Heritage Archive, WWOZ radio station, and the Wein Center.<\/div>\n
The Cincinnati May Festival<\/a><\/strong>, in its second year of a new business model that appoints a new director every season, has announced Ren\u00e9e Fleming<\/strong> for that position as of its next edition, the weekends of May 16 and 22. Fleming, whose exit from the opera stage can hardly be classified as \u201cretirement,\u201d has collaborated with Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson (who was announced as Robert Porco\u2019s successor last year) in choosing repertoire for the festival. She\u2019ll perform two concerts on the festival\u2019s second weekend.<\/div>\n
Michael Shinn<\/strong> has been named as executive director of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee<\/a><\/strong>, a position he initially assumed in August of 2023 as interim. He moves into the job as Berklee awaits the arrival of its new president in January, Jim Lucchese. Shinn, who served for six years as dean of music before taking the interim role, is credited by Berklee with an impressive number of achievements as interim, such as hiring 30 new faculty members including a dean of theater, growing the dance division, raising $4 million, and linking the Conservatory more closely with Berklee.<\/div>\n
Cl\u00e9ment Joubert<\/strong> has been chosen as the new executive director of the Festival de Lanaudi\u00e8re<\/a><\/strong>, Canada\u2019s largest classical music festival. He succeeds Xavier Roy, who stepped down this past August after four years in the position. Joubert will work closely with Festival Artistic Director Renaud Loranger to organize and present the four-week event, held each summer in the Lanaudi\u00e8re region of Quebec. Offerings include symphonic music and opera in concert, recitals, and dance, all featuring some of the world\u2019s most recognizable artists as well as local performers. The 2025 season will be the Festival\u2019s 47th since its founding in 1978.<\/div>\n
Announced as the new artistic director of the Taipei Music Academy & Festival<\/a><\/strong> (TMAF) as of August 2025, David Chan<\/strong> is well on his way to winning the sweepstakes for busiest concert musician of the year. Additional to this new gig, a three-year commitment, he is concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera, principal conductor of Washington, DC\u2019s, Apollo Orchestra, head of the orchestral performance program at the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard faculty member, and director of the Credo Music Chamber Music Festival at Oberlin.<\/div>\n
The Cathedral Choral Society<\/a><\/strong> (CCS) has appointed an interim executive director to succeed Christopher Eanes<\/strong>, who is on his way out to take over as president and CEO of Chorus America, a trade organization representing the country\u2019s professional and volunteer choral ensembles. She is Catherine Ort-Mabry, a soprano with over 25 years in CCS whose professional background includes marketing and consulting for non-profits, most recently the American Society for Microbiology (ASM).<\/div>\n
David Pratt<\/strong>, former CEO\/executive director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, has taken the job of executive director of the Classical Tahoe Music Festival & Institute<\/a><\/strong>, an annual summer event that offers four weeks of orchestra, chamber music, and jazz concerts on the Lake Tahoe campus of the University of Nevada. Classical Tahoe Orchestra musicians\u2014many of whom are members of major U.S. orchestras, including those of Philadelphia and the Metropolitan Opera\u2014serve as mentors to students enrolled in the Academy. CT Fellows, as they are known, are from underrepresented populations and receive lessons, audition training, and the opportunity to perform with the orchestra.<\/div>\n
Violinist Randall Goosby<\/strong> will be the 2025 MAC (Multi Cultural Awareness Council) Music Innovator at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CSO). He succeeds British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason to fill the one-year appointment, which offers a high-visibility platform for Black classical musicians who demonstrate both artistic excellence and a passion for community. Over the course of his residency, Goosby will offer master classes with students from the CSO\u2019s Nouveau Program and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras as well as other educational and community engagement programs. Calling his selection \u201ca special honor,\u201d the violinist added, \u201cNo matter where I go, or what I play, building community and sharing the transformative power of music with young people is at the center of what I do.\u201d<\/div>\n
Music in the Mountains<\/strong><\/a>, the three-plus week festival located in Durango, Colorado, has named violinist Vadim Gluzman<\/strong> as its next artistic director, beginning with the 2025 season. He succeeds Gregory Hustis, who retired in 2022 after 15 years in the position. Hustis was also the principal horn player in the Festival\u2019s orchestra from 1988 to 2013. Gluzman\u2019s new responsibilities will include curating the Festival\u2019s programs, ranging from symphonic and chamber music to Pops and world music as well as family-friendly events; attracting top-tier musicians; and ensuring the Festival\u2019s continuing reputation for cultural and social excellence.<\/div>\n
Dickon Stainer<\/strong> has been named chairman and CEO of Universal Music UK<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding David Joseph, who announced last week he was stepping down after almost 17 years. Stainer has over three decades of broad experience with the domestic and international music industry and for the past decade has been president and CEO of Universal Music Group\u2019s (UMG) Global Classics and Jazz divisions. Going forward Stainer will have responsibility for the overall management and strategic direction of Universal Music UK while remaining as chairman of UMG\u2019s Global Classics and Jazz divisions. Additional direct reports include the Island EMI Label Group, Polydor Label Group, Decca Records, the recently formed Audience and Media Division, and Abbey Road Studios.<\/div>\n
September 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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San Francisco Ballet<\/a><\/strong>, the oldest ballet company in the U.S., has chosen Vancouver Cultural Tourism Deputy GM Branislav Henselmann<\/strong> as its next executive director. He starts in November, succeeding Arturo Jacobus, interim for the last two years and retired CEO of the Atlanta Ballet. Jacobus succeeded Danielle St. Germain-Gordon, in the job for two years, who succeeded Kelly Tweeddale, who exited in 2021, also after two years in the job. Artistic Director Tamara Rojo arrived in 2022, after the 40-year reign of Helgi Tomasson. Prior to his current job, Henselmann was executive director of Ballet BC.<\/div>\n
As it enters its 25th-anniversary season, the Concord (MA) Chamber Music Society<\/a><\/strong> (CCMS) announced new leadership, effective at the end of 2024-25. Succeeding founder Wendy Putnam, a violinist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, are violinist Daniel Chong<\/strong> and violist Jessica Bodner<\/strong>, founding members of the 20-year-old Parker Quartet. They will serve as co-artistic directors. In comments, the two expressed eagerness to grow the \u201cvibrant community\u201d of CCMS by \u201cexpanding our reach through performances at non-traditional venues, deepening our community and educational engagements with partners throughout Greater Boston, and working towards establishing a dedicated concert venue for CCMS.\u201d<\/div>\n
The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has announced that Jim Griffith<\/strong> will be its next executive director, effective October 1, 2024. Griffith will succeed Amy Lam, who has been in post as interim executive director since June. As founder, president, and CEO of the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in Fort Myers, Florida, he transformed a former abandoned federal building into a state-of-the-art, 30,000-square-foot venue, secured a 99-year lease, and raised $14 million in capital campaign funds.<\/div>\n
Maryland<\/strong> Opera<\/strong><\/a> has announced the appointment of Jason Buckwalter<\/strong> as the company\u2019s first general director. Buckwalter first came to Baltimore in 2004 where he studied at Peabody Conservatory. He earned his Master\u2019s degree and Graduate Performance Diploma in Vocal Performance, graduating in 2008. \u201cTo me, the future of opera is in education and outreach, seeking a way to connect with our community. Maryland Opera maintains a strong outreach program visiting schools, head start centers, senior centers, and other venues as well as making education a part of our mainstage productions. This artform is for everyone and connects us all on a deeply human level. I look forward to fostering new audiences to ensure the future of opera.\u201d<\/div>\n
New York City Opera<\/a><\/strong> has announced the appointment of Constantine Orbelian<\/strong> as the company\u2019s new executive director and music director. Orbelian is a respected, four-time Grammy-nominated conductor who has toured and recorded with some of the world\u2019s greatest singers, including Renee Fleming, Sondra Radvanovsky, and Lawrence Brownlee. He is especially well known for his long and fruitful partnership in recital and on disc with the late Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.<\/div>\n
Jonathan Bradley<\/strong> has been named as the new executive director of Voices of Ascension<\/a><\/strong>, the New York City-based professional chorus with a mission to share the transformative power of choral music through performances, commissions, and community engagement. Bradley joins from Philadelphia-based choir The Crossing where he led the company as executive director over five seasons. Bradley has an fine track record, credited with sustainably doubling The Crossing\u2019s production output and budget and overseeing 12 album releases, 24 commissioned world premieres, and two international choral-theater projects. During his tenure the ensemble won three Grammy Awards and nine nominations.<\/div>\n
The Metropolitan Opera<\/a><\/strong> has promoted Michael Heaston<\/strong> to the position of deputy general manager. A respected pianist and music director as well as an experienced administrator, he had previously held the position of assistant general manager and artistic administrator. In his new role, Heaston will oversee all artistic planning, casting, performing groups, and activities of the artistic department. Previously at the Met, Heaston was executive director of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program from 2016 until 2018. He also served as score consultant for seven seasons of the award-winning Live in HD series and has been a frequent judge for the company\u2019s Laffont Competition.<\/div>\n
August 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Brent Assink<\/strong>, executive director of the San Francisco Symphony for 18 years before stepping down in 2017, is to be interim president and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> as of Sept. 9. Assink is based in Pasadena, where he most recently served as executive director of The Fuller Foundation and chief of philanthropy for the Fuller Theological Seminary. He will split his time between California and Minnesota, the latter of which is hardly unfamiliar territory: Prior to SFS he served for five years as president of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (1994-1999), where he is credited with stabilizing the orchestra’s finances.<\/div>\n
Scott Freck<\/strong> is to be the new VP of artistic operations and general manager of the Charlotte Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, which lays claim to being \u201cthe oldest operating symphony orchestra in the Carolinas.” Freck succeeds Michael Reichman, in the job 16 months. Freck, who has been consulting since stepping down as longtime Eugene (OR) Symphony executive director last year, will report to Charlotte President and CEO David Fisk and work with the orchestra\u2019s incoming Music Director Kwam\u00e9 Ryan.<\/div>\n
Kari Welch<\/strong>, an actress, director, and choreographer in regional theater, has been appointed executive director of Eugene Opera<\/a><\/strong>. She is known for her marketing and fundraising efforts in the community. Eugene Opera offers two professional performances of two operas each this season, Verdi\u2019s Rigoletto<\/i> and Nico Muhly\u2019s Dark Sisters<\/i>. Andrew Bisantz serves as the artistic director and conductor.<\/div>\n
Composer\/conductor\/performer Adam Scime<\/strong> is to succeed Faye Perkins as executive director of the Niagara (ON) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. Scime holds a DMA from the University of Toronto and joins the orchestra September 2. \u201cThe NSO is a treasure of the beautiful and musically rich Niagara Region, which I know well from my roots in Hamilton and Toronto,\u201d said Scime. Bradley Thachuk is the orchestra\u2019s music director.<\/div>\n
The Royal Swedish Opera<\/a><\/strong> has selected Tobias Theorell<\/strong> as the company\u2019s new artistic director. He follows Michael Cavanagh, who passed away earlier this year after joining the company in 2021. Theorell will assume his new responsibilities in early 2025. Ellen Lamm, who has been serving as interim, will return to her position as artistic director of the Young Opera.<\/div>\n
Conductor and composer Mohamed Saad Basha<\/strong> has been named principal conductor and artistic director of the Cairo Opera Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Ahmed El-Saedi. A graduate of the Cairo Conservatory, the 52-year-old Basha began his career as a percussionist in the orchestra he will now lead.<\/div>\n
Lee Anne Myslewski<\/strong> has been elected to serve as the new board chair of OPERA America<\/a><\/strong> through June 30, 2025, completing the term of Susan G. Marineau following her resignation due to health reasons. Myslewski, OPERA America\u2019s vice chair since 2022, has worked at Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts since 2006 and is currently its VP of opera and classical programming. She is a former opera singer as well as a seasoned administrator. In addition, two staff members have been promoted. Jamelah Rimawi<\/strong>, who joined the organization in 2018, is to be the new chief programs officer. Going forward her responsibilities will include supporting the development of new work, the career advancement of artists, and professional development for artistic personnel at opera companies. Rimawi will also oversee live and digital events, including the annual conference, and ensure that programs align with the organization\u2019s strategic priorities and commitment to gender parity, racial equity, social justice, and access. A staff member since 2021, Megan Carpenter<\/strong> is the new senior manager of government affairs and civic practice. Carpenter was key to the launch of Opera RESPECTS, the organization\u2019s anti-harassment training program, and the establishment of the new LGBTQIA+ Opera Network. Carpenter will lead OPERA America\u2019s advocacy efforts and liaise with members on pertinent legislative and regulatory issues.<\/div>\n
The Nashville Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has hired Jeff vom Saal<\/strong> as its chief operating officer (COO), effective in September. Vom Saal was for eight years the executive director of the Spokane (WA) Symphony, the most recent of a number of management positions held over a two-decade period at such regional orchestras as the Marin (CA) Symphony and the Fargo-Moorhead (ND) Symphony. In Nashville he succeeds Tonya Robles who left last December. In Spokane, Vom Saal is credited with doubling the budget, which is currently slightly smaller than Nashville\u2019s, to $21 million. The Spokane Symphony owns and operates the city\u2019s historic Fox Theater, home base to the orchestra and performance venue for a number of other presenters. The Fox claims annual attendance of 85,000.<\/div>\n
Elizabeth S. Condic<\/strong>, chief financial officer of the Houston Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, will move into the post of interim executive director and CEO of the orchestra as of October, as John Mangum makes his exit to become general director, president, and CEO of the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Condic, who holds a master’s degree in accounting from the University of Houston, Clear Lake, has been with the orchestra since 2017. She is credited with helping to steer the orchestra back to fiscal health following the floods of Hurricane Harvey and the pandemic shutdown; she was deeply involved in formulating the symphony\u2019s current strategic plan and is characterized as a \u201cteam player.<\/div>\n
Mariko Silver<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Henry Luce Foundation, is to be the 12th president and CEO of Lincoln Center<\/a><\/strong>, effective September 23. The 46-year-old daughter of a Jewish father and Japanese-American mother is the first woman of color to hold the role. She succeeds Henry Timms, who announced his intended exit in February. Lincoln Center describes the Luce Foundation as \u201ca private, independent philanthropy that works to deepen knowledge and understanding in pursuit of a more democratic and just world by nurturing knowledge communities and institutions, fostering dialogue across divides, enriching public discourse, amplifying diverse voices, and investing in leadership development.\u201d<\/div>\n
David Francis<\/strong> is to be the new chief executive of the Three Choirs Festival<\/a><\/strong>, an annual event first held in 1715 that rotates among the cathedral cities of Hereford, Worcester, and Gloucester. He succeeds Alexis Paterson, in the position since 2016, who leaves after this summer\u2019s festival in Worcester. Francis, currently CEO of Wollongong Conservatorium of Music in Australia, earned degrees at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has held positions in England with the BBC Symphony Chorus, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Arts Council England, and Dartington Hall Trust. He also played a major role in developing the PRS Foundation, one of the U.K.\u2019s major funders of new music in all genres, and served as its first manager.<\/div>\n
The musical instrument sellers\u2019 trade organization, National Association of Music Merchants<\/a><\/strong> (NAMM), has selected Julia Rubio<\/strong> as the new executive director of the NAMM Foundation. She succeeds Mary Luehrsen, who is retiring after 22 years, and will report directly to John Mlynczak, NAMM\u2019s president and CEO as well as president of the NAMM Foundation. Rubio began her career as a public-school orchestra teacher in Ohio, and arrives at NAMM from the Merakey Foundation, the nation\u2019s largest behavioral health nonprofit, where she has been executive director since 2019. Previous positions include executive directorships with performing arts, cultural, and educational nonprofits and foundations.<\/div>\n
July 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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William Gibbons<\/strong> will become the new dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute<\/a><\/strong> (RPI) as of August 1. He succeeds Mary Simoni, professor of performing arts technology, dean since 2011. Gibbons joins RPI from SUNY Potsdam, where he has been dean of the Crane School of Music. He was previously associate dean of the College of Fine Arts at Texas Christian University, where he oversaw undergraduate and graduate programs in art, dance, design, fashion, music, and theater.<\/div>\n
The Colburn School\u2019s Music Academy<\/a><\/strong> has named Margaret Batjer<\/strong> as its new director. The American violinist has been a member of the Academy\u2019s faculty since 2015, and will now join the Conservatory faculty, meanwhile resigning in 2026 from her professorship at USC Thornton School of Music. Her new responsibilities will involve shaping the artistic vision and program development for the Academy, which trains high-level pre-college musicians. Batjer will also continue to lead the Academy Virtuosi, a student ensemble.<\/div>\n
The Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University<\/a><\/strong> is expanding its audio engineering and sound production degree track\u2014in place since 1982\u2014with a “music creation” track to form a new BS in Music Production degree. It will be in place as of fall of 2025. Students can specialize in either audio engineering or creation and production. To address both the musical and commercial sides of songwriting, the school has hired widely published songwriter, Nashville sideman, author, and educator Andy West<\/strong> as associate professor of music in music production, creation and production, effective Aug. 1.<\/div>\n
Welz Kauffman<\/strong>, who led the Ravinia Festival for almost two decades before his departure in 2020, is returning to Chicago. On Sept. 30, he will begin his tenure as executive director and CEO of the Old Town School of Folk Music<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Jim Newcomb, who stepped down at the end of 2023 after five years in the position. Kauffman brings to his new responsibilities a range of experience. During his tenure at Ravinia, he is credited with substantially growing revenues and donor lists, improving the festival grounds\u2019 infrastructure and visitor amenities, and rejuvenating and expanding educational programs. He diversified the festival\u2019s musical offerings across more than 150 annual performances that included a longstanding collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and commissioned numerous original works.<\/div>\n
Berklee College of Music<\/a><\/strong> has hired Jim Lucchese<\/strong>, a former top executive at Spotify, as its next president. Trained as a lawyer, the Boston-based businessman boasts a successful 20-year track record in connecting music and technology. He has not worked in academia but has served as an advisor to the College. He starts in January, succeeding an interim team of Provost David Bogen, serving as president, and Senior VP of Student Enrollment and Engagement Betsy Newman, as senior VP.<\/div>\n
Jonathan Manners<\/strong>, who has been responsible for the artistic leadership of the BBC Singers<\/a><\/strong> since 2016, will add the top executive position of director to his remit. He succeeds Paul Hughes, who stepped down after 23 years in 2022. Since joining the group eight years ago, Manners has promoted the work of female and culturally diverse composers, partnered with a wide range of artists, and expanded the ensemble\u2019s repertoire to include a range of musical genres. In 2024 the Singers won the Ensemble Category of the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.<\/div>\n
Thomas Kernan<\/strong>, associate professor of music history and associate dean of Roosevelt University\u2019s Chicago College of Performing Arts, is to be the inaugural assistant dean of artistic operations for Indiana University Jacobs School of Music<\/a><\/strong>. Kernan assumes the new position on August 15, after a decade at Roosevelt, where he has been managing the college\u2019s Music Conservatory, Theater Conservatory, and Interdisciplinary Conservatory. He is a recipient of the school\u2019s highest honor for teaching, the Provost\u2019s Award for Innovative Curricular Design.<\/div>\n
Two years ago, Texas A&M University established a School of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts<\/a><\/strong> and named Tim McLaughlin<\/strong>, an expert in environmental design and visualization sciences, as its interim dean. Yesterday, McLaughlin, the founding head of the school\u2019s Department of Visualization, was appointed to the role permanently, becoming the inaugural recipient of the Ray Rothrock \u201977 Endowed Dean\u2019s Chair.<\/div>\n
Sir Keir Starmer, the U.K.\u2019s new prime minister, has named Lisa Nandy<\/strong> as Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport<\/a><\/strong>. The 44-year-old Labor MP from Wigan was the shadow cabinet minister for international development prior to the Labor Party\u2019s smashing victory in the recent general election. Nandy succeeds Conservative Lucy Frazer, who lost her seat in Parliament. Among Nandy\u2019s first orders of business will be a review of the TV licensing fee, which funds much of the BBC\u2019s activities through an annual charge of \u00a3169.50 per household. The fee was recently raised by \u00a310.50 following a two-year freeze. A review initiated by the Tory government is currently underway, the results of which, due next fall, will now be examined in light of the new Labor government\u2019s commitment to make culture and the arts more accessible and to invest in the creative industry as part of its industrial strategy.<\/div>\n
Florian Wiegand<\/strong>, concert manager of the Salzburg Festival since 2012, has been announced by the mayor of Munich as the next Intendant of the Munich Philharmoniker<\/a><\/strong> in September 2025. He succeeds Paul M\u00fcller, who departs after 16 years. Beginning next fall he will be a frequent visitor to Munich in order to familiarize himself with the orchestra. He will assume his responsibilities a year before the arrival of recently designated successor to Chief Conductor Valeri Gergiev, Lahav Shani.<\/div>\n
Christoph M\u00fcller<\/strong> is to be the new Intendant and artistic director of Settimane Musicali Ascona<\/a><\/strong>, which this season runs from August 31 to October 8 in Ticino, Switzerland. He starts in the fall of 2025, arriving after 24 years in a similar position with the Gstaad Menuhin Festival, which Daniel Hope takes over in November 2025. M\u00fcller succeeds Francesco Piemontesi and is charged with repositioning the event.<\/div>\n
Sarah Cole<\/strong>, an expert in literary modernism, has been promoted from interim to dean of Columbia University\u2019s School of the Arts<\/a><\/strong>, encompassing the departments of film, theater, visual and sound Arts, and writing. She has been serving as interim since September, stepping into the post held by Carol Becker for 16 years. Cole had been dean of the Humanities when she took the interim role; she has been with the school since 2018 as Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature. Prior to becoming humanities dean\u2014with leadership connections to Columbia College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of General Studies, the School of the Arts, Barnard College, and the Office of the Provost\u2014she was chair of the department of English and comparative literature.<\/div>\n
June 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Michelle Miller Burns<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra, is to take the same position with the Dallas Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as of September 23. She succeeds Kim Noltemy, who was announced in May as the new president and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as of July. Prior to her six-year stint in Minnesota, Burns was COO of the Dallas Symphony, where she started as VP of Development in 2015 and quickly worked her way to executive VP for institutional advancement and COO from 2017-18.<\/div>\n
New York\u2019s Diller-Quaile School of Music<\/a><\/strong>, est. 1920, has announced that Jennifer Patten<\/strong> will succeed Kirsten Morgan as executive director. Patten, who starts August 12, has for two years been director of strategic initiatives and special projects at The New School and is a former member of the Dean\u2019s Council at Mannes. Previously she served as head of the Martha Graham School for seven years and director of curriculum integration at Trinity Academy of Performing Arts in Providence, RI.<\/div>\n
Genevieve Twomey<\/strong> has left her position as VP and general manager of the National Symphony Orchestra to become executive director of the Westport, CT-based Meadowmount School of Music<\/a><\/strong>, a summer program for young string players founded in 1944 by Ivan Galamian. Twomey is a native of Australia who holds advanced degrees from the Peabody Conservatory. She trained as a cellist under Stephen Kates, an alumnus of Meadowmount. She served in management positions with a number of orchestras before her six-year stint with the NSO, including the Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Kitchener-Waterloo symphonies. In her new job she works with Artistic Director Janet Sung.<\/div>\n
Daniel Hope<\/strong> is to become the Intendant and artistic director of Gstaad Menuhin Festival<\/a><\/strong> and Academy as of November 1, 2025. He succeeds Christoph M\u00fcller, in the position for 24 years. A violinist of international distinction, Hope is currently music director of both the Zurich Chamber Orchestra and New Century Chamber Orchestra. For the past two decades, he has spent increasing amounts of his time directing and curating music festivals and concert series, including the Savannah Music Festival, the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Philharmonie Essen. He also serves as artistic director of the Frauenkirche Dresden and president of the Beethoven House in Bonn.<\/div>\n
Opera Carolina<\/a><\/strong> has turned to the Charlotte business community for its new general director. Dr. Shant\u00e9 Williams<\/strong> will join the company on July 1, succeeding James Meena, who has held the dual titles of general and artistic director since 2000. He will continue to serve in the latter role and as principal conductor, while Williams oversees the business aspect of the company. Williams\u2019s background features major accomplishments in medicine and in business. Having earned a Ph.D. in Integrated Biomedical Science, with a specialty in Neuro-Oncology and Pharmacology, from The Ohio State University, she has been recognized for discovering innovative chemotherapy treatments for high-grade invasive brain tumors.<\/div>\n
Intermusica<\/a><\/strong> management has moved Nathan Morrison<\/strong> from the position of associate director of vocal & opera to head of vocal & opera, a title that also lands him on the board of directors. Morrison, who joined the firm in 2022 from rival company Askonas Holt, where he was a senior manager, will take over from the current vocal & opera head at Intermusica Julia Maynard (who was instrumental in hiring Morrison), in the job since 2006. She will remain with the company as a director; she also relinquishes her title of deputy executive director.<\/div>\n
Suzanne Wilson<\/strong> will succeed Tony Beadle as president and CEO of Rockport (MA) Music<\/a><\/strong> as of July 1; she arrives after time in London with family, having previously served a brief term at the helm of the Phoenix Symphony and, before that, seven years at the Midori Foundation. She will oversee both content and operations at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, where the Rockport Chamber Music Festival (from which Rockport Music evolved) is currently underway. Barry Shiffman remains artistic director of classical music.<\/div>\n
Amy Lam<\/strong>, founder and principal of the Lamling Consulting Group, is to serve as interim executive director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>, which this year runs from July 14 to August 19. David Kitto, named to the post last fall, has had to resign due to health issues relating to Santa Fe\u2019s high altitude. A search for his full-time successor is ongoing.<\/div>\n
Juilliard<\/a><\/strong>‘s new VP of public affairs will be Mary Caraccioli<\/strong> a former television journalist hired by Lincoln Center in 2015 to be public relations chief. Caraccioli\u2019s most recent post was chief communications and engagement officer for the Central Park Conservancy. She has an MBA from Drexel University and a BA in English from the University of Pittsburgh.<\/div>\n
The Canadian Opera Company<\/a><\/strong> (COC) announced that David C. Ferguson<\/strong> has been appointed as Interim General Director, effective immediately.<\/div>\n
Emily Fritz-Endres<\/strong> is to be the next executive director of the Albany Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> as of August. She succeeds David Hyslop, who has been serving as interim since January, three months after the departure of Anna Kuwabara. Fritz-Endes is a recent Atlanta Symphony executive management fellow and earned her MBA from Columbia University last year. Previously she was with the Boston Symphony Orchestra for eight years as director of board administration. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in political science from Carlton College. Albany Symphony Music Director David Alan Miller called her \u201ca rising star in the orchestral world.\u201d<\/div>\n
Steve Wogaman<\/strong>, president and artistic director of Chamber Music Detroit, is to succeed Shawn Puller as executive director of the Garth Newel Music Center<\/a><\/strong> (GNMC) in Hot Springs, VA. Wogaman, who will continue as AD in Detroit remotely, is a pianist and chamber musician who trained at the Eastman School of Music and holds a DM from Indiana\u2019s Jacobs School of Music where he studied under Menahem Pressler. A former chief executive of the Canton (OH) and Allentown (PA) symphony orchestras, he is credited with developing the CameraMusic webcasting platform during the pandemic, collaborating with 70 peer organizations and said to have reached more than 200,000 listeners worldwide.<\/div>\n
The Flagstaff (AZ) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, now in its 74th season, has a new executive director as of this month. She is Michelle Wachter<\/strong>, a pianist and associate teaching professor of class piano at Northern Arizona University (NAU). She holds a DMA in piano pedagogy and a master’s degree in piano performance from the University of South Carolina. Wachter succeeds Stephanie Stallings, in the job two years. The orchestra performs about a dozen pops and classical concerts per season and is comprised of a core of professional musicians.<\/div>\n
Symphony Tacoma<\/a><\/strong>, a professional orchestra that offers about ten concerts a season, has named Jenni Warren<\/strong> as its next executive director. She succeeds William (Bill) Ryberg, who has served as interim since January, following Karina Bharne\u2019s departure. Bharne is now chief executive at the Orlando Philharmonic. Warren\u2019s experience includes the top administrative post at the Fairbanks (AK) Symphony.<\/div>\n
San Francisco Symphony Chief Artistic Officer Phillippa Cole<\/strong> will join Opus 3 Artists<\/a><\/strong> in November as senior vice president and manager, with a remit to create her own roster of artists at the firm. Cole has a long history in artist management, having served for 12 years at Askonas Holt, a relatively recent partner firm of Opus 3. She appears to have joined the San Francisco Symphony when Salonen did, in 2019, after one year as associate director of artistic planning for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she programmed the Hollywood Bowl Classical concerts and the Green Umbrella contemporary series.<\/div>\n
Jonah Nigh<\/strong>, senior VP of development and alumni engagement at the New School, is to succeed Alexandra Wheeler as VP and chief advancement officer at the Juilliard School<\/a><\/strong>, reporting to President Damian Woetzel. Nigh previously worked in development at the Jewish Museum. Nigh\u2019s experience in development includes jobs with Lincoln Center, Columbia University, and Opera America. A baker, stand-up comic, and Boston marathoner, he holds a BA in vocal performance from Lawrence University and an MM from the New England Conservatory.<\/div>\n
Amy Iwano<\/strong>, a former executive director of UChicago Presents and current vice chair of New Music USA, is to be the next president and CEO of the Hawai\u2019i Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (HSO). She succeeds Dave Moss who left last December after three years in the job and is now chief executive of the Eugene (OR) Symphony. Iwano, whose most recent position was executive director of Performance Santa Fe, has worked with a range of arts groups in a range of jobs, including operations and fund raising. She holds a BA from Pomona College and attended Case Western University and the Goethe Institut in Berlin. The HSO has just completed its first full season under Music Director Dane Lam\u2019s music directorship. In comments, Iwano called the Orchestra, \u201cA jewel in the cultural landscape of O’ahu.\u201d<\/div>\n
Chamber Music San Francisco<\/a><\/strong> has chosen Jeanette Wong<\/strong> to succeed its founder and longtime chief Daniel Levenstein as executive director. Levenstein steps down at the end of June after 19 years in the job. Wong has been with SFJazz for the last seven years, most recently as associate director of artistic programming. Previously she was executive assistant to the COO of the San Francisco Symphony and worked for the League of American Orchestras in New York. She holds a BM in music theory and composition from New York University.<\/div>\n
May 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Florida Grand Opera<\/a><\/strong> has promoted its interim general director to the post permanently. Maria Todaro<\/strong> arrived last October taking over from Susan Danis. Having directed some 23 productions for opera companies such as those in Minnesota, Atlanta, and Honolulu, Todaro, a onetime professional mezzo-soprano, is the product of an opera-singing family, including parents Jose Todaro and Maria-Helena de Oliveira, and grandmother Helena de Oliveira.<\/div>\n
Sheryl Kennedy Haydel<\/strong> is the new dean of the College of Music and Media at Loyala University<\/a><\/strong>. She comes to the post after serving as interim for the last year, succeeding Kern Maass. The College of Music and Media was formerly known as the College of Music and Fine Arts, a name change that came about in 2019. Haydel arrived at Loyola in 2021 as an associate professor and director of the School of Communication and Design, a position overseeing filmmaking, journalism, advertising, PR, and the like.<\/div>\n
Jenny Mollica<\/strong> has been promoted to chief executive of the English National Opera<\/a><\/strong>, having served as interim for the past year. She has been with the company since 2020, initially as director of strategy and engagement, a post in which she is credited with establishing new partnerships\u2014including those with Greater Manchester, where the ENO will soon have a presence\u2014and growing the ENO\u2019s social impact in general.<\/div>\n
Montreal Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has named M\u00e9lanie La Couture<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Montreal Heart Institute, to be its next CEO, effective in July. She succeeds Madeleine Careau, who announced earlier this year that she would be stepping down at the end of June. In commenting on the appointment, the orchestra noted La Couture\u2019s management and fund-raising experience, as well as her \u201cwell-articulated vision\u201d for the orchestra\u2019s future.<\/div>\n
The Shepherd School of Music<\/a><\/strong> at Rice University has selected Miguel Harth-Bedoya<\/strong> as its next resident director of orchestras and professor of conducting. After spending the 2024-25 school year as designate, he will assume his full responsibilities beginning the fall of 2025. Harth-Bedoya succeeds Larry Rachleff, who led the Shepherd School orchestras for more than 30 years before his death in 2022.<\/div>\n
Violinist Annie Fullard<\/strong>, current chair of chamber music at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University, is to be the next director of chamber music at the Peabody Institute<\/a><\/strong>. A founding member of the Cavani String Quartet, she will succeed cellist Michael Kannen, in the job 20 years, next fall. Kannen remains on the faculty. Prior to the McDuffie Center, Fullard was co-director of the orchestral program at Cleveland State University. She also served as coordinator of string chamber music at The University of Michigan and, with Cavania, quartet in residence at Cleveland Institute of Music.<\/div>\n
The Guildhall School of Music & Drama<\/a><\/strong> will merge its vocal and opera studies areas into one Vocal Arts department come September 2024. Soprano Sarah Tynan<\/strong> has been announced as its new head as of next September 2024. She has an active performance career, having recently starred in productions by the ENO and the Royal Opera, and is a private voice teacher of the Royal College of Music.<\/div>\n
\n

On May 22 Angela Dixon is to became the new chair of the Royal Philharmonic Society<\/a><\/strong> succeeding 14-year incumbent Sir John Gilhooly, artistic and executive director of Wigmore Hall. Dixon, currently CEO at Saffron Hall, studied music at the University of London and worked in various positions at Barbican Center for 15 years before assuming her current post in 2014. She also manages performance engagements for composer\/conductor Thomas Ad\u00e8s.<\/p>\n

The Merola Opera Program<\/a><\/strong> has hired Sean Waugh, consultant and onetime artistic planning manager for the San Francisco Opera (SFO), as its new executive director. He succeeds Jean Kellogg, who stepped down last January after 12 years in the job. Waugh only the second individual to hold the position, will be working with SFO Artistic Director Carrie-Ann Matheson and General Manager Markus Beam. Waugh\u2019s most recent job was a near two-year stint as director of artistic strategy & innovation at the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale. He was with SFO for 11 years, initially as assistant to the director of artistic administration.<\/div>\n
April 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Credo Music<\/a><\/strong>, which marks its 25th anniversary this summer, has named Met Orchestra concertmaster David Chan<\/strong> as director of its annual chamber music festival at Oberlin Conservatory, effective in 2025. Chan, in addition to his 24 years with the Met, is also a conductor and heads the Manhattan School of Music\u2019s (MSM) Orchestral Performance graduate program.<\/div>\n
Orchestra Victoria<\/a><\/strong> has tapped Jessica Gethin<\/strong> to assume the orchestra\u2019s lead artistic role. As artistic adviser, she will work with management on musician recruitment and performance, collaborate with key artistic personnel from Orchestra Victoria\u2019s performance partners such as Opera Australia (OA) and The Australian Ballet (TAB), and offer expert guidance to uphold performance standards as a pit orchestra for other performance partners.<\/div>\n
The Bavarian-Japanese violinist Midori Seiler<\/strong> will begin a three-year term as artistic director of the Cologne-based zamus: early music festival<\/a><\/strong> in 2025. She succeeds cellist Ira Givol, in the position since 2020. The festival annually presents a series of special concerts and events\u2014enacted music performances, conversation concerts, children\u2019s events, and improvisation sessions\u2014that feature both young and seasoned artists.<\/div>\n
Opera Philadelphia<\/a><\/strong> has named Anthony Roth Costanzo<\/strong> as its next general director and president. Costanzo is a star countertenor, but he is also an entrepreneur, a witty and versatile MC, and an easy inhabitant of a variety of stage guises, from Egyptian king to cabaret artist. Costanzo was the primary impetus and host for the New York Philharmonic\u2019s clever BandWagon concerts during the pandemic. Constanzo\u2019s official start date is June 1.<\/div>\n
As of June 1, Nicholas Tzavaras<\/strong> will become senior director of artistic planning and educational programs at the Brevard Music Center<\/a><\/strong> (BMC) in North Carolina. As a member of senior management, the BMC\u2019s new hire will be responsible for education, concert performances, and student recruitment and enrollment. A native of New York City, Tzavaras earned music degrees in cello performance from the New England Conservatory and the State University of New York at Stony Brook as well as an MBA from Montclair State University.<\/div>\n
Nathan Lutz<\/strong>, director of operations and education at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for the last seven years, has been named as the new executive director of the Carmel Bach Festival<\/a><\/strong>. Lutz reports having been responsible for a $10 million budget in Dallas. Previously he was assistant personnel manager at the Cincinnati Symphony and a double bass fellow at the New World Symphony. The Festival opens its 87th edition on July 13 and runs through July 27. Grete Peterson is principal conductor and artistic director.<\/div>\n
Music@Menlo<\/a><\/strong> has tapped John Robinson<\/strong> to succeed Edward P. Sweeney as its next executive director. Sweeney, in the job 18 years, is credited with increasing the festival\u2019s budget from $1.3 million to $2.5 million. Robinson is the current director of leadership gifts at the Asia Foundation in San Francisco and is a former executive director of the Santa Barbara Symphony.<\/div>\n
Kaufman Music Center Executive Director Kate Sheeran<\/strong> has been tapped to succeed Jamal Rossi as dean of the Eastman School of Music<\/a><\/strong> at the University of Rochester. Sheeran, an Eastman grad, class of 2002, starts July 15 and will be the first woman to take the job. During her five-plus-year tenure at Kaufman, Sheeran is credited with expanding the partnerships within the community, doubling the endowment, and raising the Center\u2019s profile, not least through a series of pop-up concerts titled \u201cMusical Storefronts\u201d during the pandemic.<\/div>\n
The Verve Label Group<\/a><\/strong> (VLG) has promoted Joseph Oerke<\/strong> to executive vice president of Decca Records US. He has been with the company for 16 years, and in his most recent position as senior vice president, marketing and artist strategy, helped the label ascend to the leading industry position in the U.S., with a weekly average of 47 percent of the classical albums chart. His success led to his being named Billboard\u2019s Executive of the Week, a first for a classical music executive.<\/div>\n
Berkshire Choral International<\/a><\/strong> announced that Anthony Trecek-King<\/strong>, current resident choral conductor of Boston\u2019s Handel and Haydn Society will be its new artistic director. Trecek-King holds a B.M. in Cello from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, an M.M. in Orchestral Conducting from Florida State, and a D.M.A. in Choral Conducting from Boston University.<\/div>\n
Neil Constable<\/strong> OBE is to be clerk and CEO of The Musicians\u2019 Company<\/a><\/strong> as of November. He succeeds Hugh Lloyd, in the position for ten years, and will work closely with The Hon. Richard Lyttelton, master of The Musicians\u2019 Company, a charitable organization that distributes scholarships and awards worth over \u00a3250,000 annually to early career musicians. Awardees are invited to join the Company\u2019s Young Artists\u2019 Program and participate in performance and outreach opportunities.<\/div>\n
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music<\/a><\/strong> (CCM) has selected Peter Jutras<\/strong> to become its new dean. Currently professor of piano and piano pedagogy and director of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music (HHSM) at the University of Georgia, where has held several teaching and leadership positions over the past 18 years, Jutras assumes his new duties as of Aug. 1, 2024, pending board approval.<\/div>\n
Andrew Comben<\/strong> will assume the position of chief executive officer at Britten Pears Arts<\/a><\/strong> in September 2024. He succeeds Roger Wright, who has been in the position for ten years. Comben comes to his new post from Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival, where he has been CEO since 2008. While there, he created the festival\u2019s annual guest director model, expanded engagement initiatives, and oversaw the restoration and redevelopment of the Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre venues.<\/div>\n
Choral Arts Society of Washington<\/a><\/strong>, D.C., its 60th anniversary coming in 2025, has announced Marie Bucoy-Calavan<\/strong> as its next artistic director as of next season. She succeeds Jace Kaholokula Saplan who left after 18 months in the job. Saplan is associate professor and director of choral activities at Arizona State University.<\/div>\n
March 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Annapolis Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has tapped a former neurosurgeon and university president to be its next CEO, as of April 1. Ralph Kuncl<\/strong> comes to the position with an impressive track record as a fund raiser, most notably as president, now emeritus, of the University of Redlands in California, where he is credited with overseeing a successful $200 million campaign and securing the University\u2019s largest-ever gift of $35 million. With choral singing as one of his avocations, he took a special interest in elevating the quality of the Redlands Conservatory and the affiliated Redland Symphony. An endowed scholarship to the Conservatory was created in his honor.<\/div>\n
The Pacific Chorale<\/a><\/strong> has named Rhett M. Del Campo<\/strong> as president and CEO as of May 1. He succeeds Andrew Brown, who left last fall after five years to take the same position with the Pasadena Symphony. A onetime professional percussionist, Del Campo comes to the Chorale from chief-executive positions at iSing Silicon Valley, a choral education program for K-12 girls, and Seraphic Fire, a professional vocal ensemble based in Miami, to which he helped bring a national profile.<\/div>\n
Philadelphia<\/a><\/strong> Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, who took office on Jan. 1, has tapped Valerie Gay<\/strong> to be the city\u2019s new arts and culture czar. City arts leaders greeted the appointment as well as the mayor\u2019s apparent intention to elevate the incumbent to a cabinet-level position with great enthusiasm. \u201cWe believe that the arts and culture sector now has several champions embedded within the administration,\u201d said Patricia Wilson Aden, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. \u201cNo one could better bring all of the qualities that we are looking for in our next arts and culture leader.\u201d<\/div>\n
Barry Hughson<\/strong>, executive director of the National Ballet of Canada for the last decade, is to take the same post at the American Ballet Theatre<\/a><\/strong> as of July 1. ABT, annual budget of $45 million, is said to be the third largest ballet company in North America; NBC is smaller, though on the upswing. Hughson\u2019s experience at the executive helm also includes four years running the Boston Ballet preceded by two at the Atlanta Ballet. He started his career as a dancer with the Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center. In comments, he said he was honored “to help navigate post-pandemic challenges [and] pursue opportunities for growth.”<\/div>\n
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (LPO), which prides itself on being the only full-time professional orchestra in the state, has tapped Stephanie Lobato<\/strong> as its first managing director, charged with increasing revenue streams and nurturing relationships with new and longtime patrons. She joins the LSO from the Hawai\u2019i Symphony Orchestra (HSO), where during her four-year tenure as director of advancement she is credited with increasing subscribers, doubling the donor base, and revitalizing the HSO\u2019s corporate giving program. Lobato also initiated the revival of outdoor summer concerts, built audiences for a new symphony series, and introduced the orchestra’s first music director to the community.<\/div>\n
The Seattle-based Music of Remembrance<\/a><\/strong> (MOR) has tapped Lorri Staal<\/strong> as its first executive director. A legal professional and experienced corporate litigator, Staal joined the staff on Feb. 26. She previously presided over operations at JND Legal Administration, and before that over client services at EPIQ, a global provider of legal administration services. A longtime human rights advocate, Staal has engaged in volunteer work with several organizations aligned with MOR\u2019s mission, including as pro bono in-house counsel to the Seattle Symphony.<\/div>\n
The BBC Concert Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has tapped Matthew Swann<\/strong> to succeed Andrew Connolly, who stepped down in 2020 after 20 years, as director, effective on March 27. Swann arrives at the BBC with more than 20 years of leadership experience, including nine as CEO of City of London Sinfonia as well as roles at the Roundhouse in Camden and Orchestras Live. He is a co-founder of Your Turn Collective, a support organization for classical music creators from under-represented backgrounds.<\/div>\n
At the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (RPO), Sarah Bardwell<\/strong> follows James Williams as managing director ahead of the 2024-25 season. Bardwell joins the RPO from Britten Pears Arts, where she has been the executive director of the charity behind Snape Maltings, The Red House, and the Aldeburgh Festival. In her previous position as CEO of the Britten Pears Foundation, she led the merger with Snape Maltings that created Britten Pears Arts. Bardwell was also a key player in the recently completed \u00a33 million transformation of London\u2019s Handel House Museum into the Handel Hendrix House.<\/div>\n
As of July 2024, Eric Melear<\/strong> will become the new artistic director of the London-based National Opera Studio<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds David Sulkin OBE, in the position for six years. Melear will partner with Executive Director Nicholas Simpson in a new joint leadership structure for the organization. Melear has championed the development young singers and pianists at both the Houston Grand Opera and Wolf Trap Opera, and is a frequent guest coach in the U.K., Italy, and the U.S. He has guest conducted at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival and at numerous U.S. opera houses, including Houston Grand Opera, Arizona Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, and Des Moines Metro Opera.<\/div>\n
The Walton Arts Center<\/a><\/strong> welcomes Carlos Vicente<\/strong> as its new vice president of marketing and sales. Vicente will be responsible for marketing, public relations, ticketing and box office for Walton Arts Center, the state\u2019s busiest arts presenter, and its outdoor amphitheater, the Walmart AMP. Vicente, originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, comes to Northwest Arkansas from Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served as vice president of marketing and communications for the Grand Rapids Symphony since 2021. Before that, Vicente was director of marketing and communications at the Sarasota Opera in Sarasota, Florida.<\/div>\n
February 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Central City Opera<\/a><\/strong> (CCO) has named Stage Director Alison Moritz<\/strong> as its new artistic director. A noted freelance director, Moritz has staged productions for the major opera companies of Cincinnati, Kansas City, Wolf Trap, Atlanta, and Washington, D.C., where she workshopped and directed Missy Mazzoli\u2019s Proving Up<\/i>. She was interim managing artistic director of opera at Peabody Conservatory in 2021-22 and has taught and directed at conservatories, such as Juilliard and the Shepherd School at Rice University, and worked with young artists programs from Santa Fe to Glimmerglass.<\/div>\n
Paolo Arc\u00e0<\/strong>, artistic director of La Scala decades ago (1997-2003), is to take the post at Opera di Roma<\/a><\/strong>. Arc\u00e0 will work in conjunction with Intendant Francesco Giambrone and Music Director Michele Mariotti. Also a noted composer and pianist, he has occupied artistic leadership positions at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Carlo Felice di Genoa, Teatro Regio, and the Green Festival of Parma.<\/div>\n
Herv\u00e9 Boissi\u00e8re<\/strong>, founder and managing director of medici.tv, is to turn his attentions \u201cexclusively\u201d to the Verbier Festival<\/a><\/strong> as its new co-CEO, effective April 15. He will codirect the esteemed 30-year-old event together with its founder, Martin T:son Engstroem, 71. Boissi\u00e8re arrives just a few weeks before C\u00e2line Yamakawa, who has worked at the Verbier Festival Foundation for 18 years, the last six as COO, departs.<\/div>\n
Daniela Nardi<\/strong>, a recorded solo vocalist whose career has encompassed marketing, producing, fundraising, and administrative leadership, is to be the new executive director of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir<\/a><\/strong>, founded in 1894 and one of the most highly regarded choruses in the country. Nardi, who succeeds Anna Katj\u00e1r, was recently interim executive director of Tafelmusik and is said to have revitalized 918 Bathurst Centre for Arts, Culture, Media, and Education as its executive and artistic director. Her new ensemble is a core of 24 professional vocalists that can expand to 100 with auditioned volunteers.<\/div>\n
The North Mississippi Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, a professional ensemble of musicians from Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas, has hired a new executive director. The new administrative boss is one Brooke Bullock Burleson<\/strong>, 26, who teaches piano and dance locally and has worked in marketing, fund raising, and digital media. She holds degrees in journalism and political science from the University of Southern Mississippi. Burleson succeeds Lisa Martin.<\/div>\n
Music Academy<\/a><\/strong> (of the West) has appointed Nate Bachhuber<\/strong> as chief artistic officer as of February 26. Bachhuber was most recently an artistic advisor at the St. Louis Symphony for seven months; before that he was with the Cincinnati Symphony for five years as VP of artistic planning, the Los Angeles Philharmonic as artistic administrator for two years, and Carnegie Hall for two, largely in marketing and PR. He holds an MM in opera from Curtis.<\/div>\n
At Toronto’s Luminato Festival<\/a><\/strong>, Olivia Ansell<\/strong>, an accomplished arts leader, director, and performance artist who is current director of the Sydney Festival, will succeed Naomi Campbell as artistic director, who stepped aside in 2023 after five years. Ansell is not scheduled to arrive until 2025. Ansell previously served as head of contemporary performance at the Sydney Opera House and has been in her current position since 2020. She has received high marks for steering the festival through the pandemic and exceeding attendance projections when live performances resumed.<\/div>\n
The Colburn School<\/a><\/strong> promoted Nate Zeisler<\/strong>, interim provost, to the full position, succeeding Adrian Daly, who died in August. Zeisler has been at the school for 13 years, teaching career development and community engagement courses. While serving as interim provost, he was also VP of partnerships and planning. In his new post, assumed last month, he is chief academic officer for the Conservatory of Music, Community School of Performing Arts, Music Academy, and Trudl Zipper Dance Institute\u2014a total of over 2,000 students, plus faculty and staff. Prior to Colburn, he was assistant professor of bassoon and entrepreneurship at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, and began his career as an elementary school music teacher.<\/div>\n
The Chattanooga Symphony & Opera<\/a><\/strong> (CSO) has selected Susan W. Caminez<\/strong> as its new executive director. She succeeds John Kilkenny, who left after three years to fill the same position at the New York Youth Symphony. Caminez joined the CSO in 2021, progressing from bookkeeper to become the organization\u2019s first director of education and community impact. In that role she reimagined the ensemble\u2019s young people\u2019s concerts and successfully reached out to new audiences with the support of a four-year, $200,000 grant from city government.<\/div>\n
The Toledo Opera<\/a><\/strong> has tapped two insiders to succeed Executive Director Suzanne Rorick when she steps aside after 13 years on May 31, 2024. James M. Norman<\/strong> and Kevin Bylsma<\/strong>, the new general director and artistic director respectively, have collectively worked for the company for 45 years. Norman, a native of Toledo, first sang in the opera chorus in 1981, and from 1987 until 2000 performed in both chorus and comprimari roles. Eleven years later he served a stage manager for Turandot. Thereafter he was a part-time production manager until 2016, when he was appointed director of production. In the fall of 2019, Rorick named him co-artistic director. Bylsma joined Toledo Opera from Michigan Opera Theater (now Detroit Opera) in 1997 as head of music preparation and musical assistant to James Meena, principal artistic director at the time. In 2003 he became a vocal coach and the coordinator of opera at Bowling Green State University, soon to return to the opera company, where his role has evolved to include principal rehearsal pianist for all mainstage operas, chorus master, co-artistic director, and head of music preparation. Since 2006 he has overseen the longtime partnership between the university and the opera company.<\/div>\n
January 2024<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Branford Marsalis<\/strong>, the jazz saxophonist and composer whose career includes movie scores, Grammy-winning recordings, and a stint as the leader of The Tonight Show<\/i> band, is taking on a new job in his hometown of New Orleans. Marsalis has been named as the new artistic director for the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music<\/a><\/strong>. The center is named for Branford\u2019s late father, patriarch of a family of accomplished New Orleans musicians that also includes trumpeter and composer Wynton Marsalis, Branford\u2019s brother.<\/div>\n
In late March 2024 John Kilkenny<\/strong> will join the New York Youth Symphony<\/strong><\/a> (NYYS) as executive director, succeeding Shauna Quill, who was in the position for 12 years. Kilkenny will oversee all aspects of an organization that each season sees more than 260 students between the ages of 10 and 22 take part in orchestra, chamber music, jazz, composition, musical theater, songwriting, and apprentice conducting programs. He will also have responsibility for supervising community outreach, fundraising, artistic programming, and marketing.<\/div>\n
The Boston Lyric Opera<\/a><\/strong> (BLO) has announced several new appointments to its artistic leadership team, chief among which is Nina Yoshida Nelsen<\/strong> as artistic director. She succeeds Esther Nelson, who until March 2021 held the position of general and artistic director. Nelson was succeeded on an interim basis by Bradley Vernatter, who subsequently advised the board that the two roles should be split. Joining Nelsen as a second newcomer to the BLO is theater director Anne Bogart<\/strong>, who has previously staged several operas with the BLO and now assumes the role of artistic associate. She will contribute to mainstage repertoire planning, particularly as it relates to dramaturgical issues and performance.<\/div>\n
The Oregon Bach Festival<\/a><\/strong> (OBF) has announced that Jos van Veldhoven<\/strong>, longtime artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society, and Craig Hella Johnson<\/strong>, in the same post with the Austin-based vocal ensemble Conspirare, are to be the festival\u2019s new artistic partners. As artistic director of the Netherlands Bach Society for more than 35 years, Veldhoven has initiated hundreds of performances and recordings of Bach\u2019s work. Craig Hella Johnson will devote his energies to improving the OBF\u2019s educational offerings, sharpening its vocal performances, and promoting the inclusion of contemporary choral music as part of the festival offerings.<\/div>\n
Librettist\/producer Lila Palmer<\/strong> is to be general and artistic director of the New Orleans Opera Association<\/a><\/strong> (NOOA), effective in May, about one year after predecessor Clare Burovac announced her exit after three years. A onetime mezzo-soprano, Palmer has overseen arts programming for heritage spaces including the Museum of London and heard her librettos performed at Edinburgh Fringe, Gran Teatro del Liceu, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Glimmerglass, among others. She will continue her work as a librettist, citing Mark Adamo and Rene Orth among collaborators.<\/div>\n
Betsey Perlmutter<\/strong>, a multi-discipline producer who helped establish the New York Philharmonic \u201cArt of the Score\u201d series, has been officially named vice president of Schirmer Theatrical<\/a><\/strong>. Established in 2015, Schirmer Theatrical self-defines as specializing in \u201cnon-traditional symphonic and film concerts\u201c and boasts some 150 packages, using mostly music from its vast composer catalogs. Schirmer puts these packages together for symphony orchestras and other presenters.<\/div>\n
December 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Francesco Ventriglia<\/strong> is to become artistic director of the Alberta Ballet<\/a><\/strong>, which performs its mainstage season in Calgary and Francesco Ventriglia is to become artistic director of the Alberta Ballet, which performs its mainstage season in Calgary and Edmonton. Assuming his new post in January 2024, the former dancer with the La Scala Ballet succeeds Christopher Anderson, who has filled the position since July 2022.Edmonton. Assuming his new post in January 2024, the former dancer with the La Scala Ballet succeeds Christopher Anderson, who has filled the position since July 2022.<\/div>\n
Op\u00e9ra de Lille<\/a><\/strong> will welcome a new director when Barbara Eckle<\/strong> arrives on July 1, 2025 to succeed Caroline Sonrier, in the position since 2003. Eckle was dramaturg at the Ruhrtriennale International Festival of Arts from 2020 to 2023, and before that at the Staatsoper de Stuttgart from 2018 to 2020.<\/div>\n
Kristin Lavin<\/strong> has been appointed associate dean of external relations at Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University<\/a><\/strong>, a position that oversees development, alumni relations, and marketing and communications. Lavin is the former senior director for stewardship and donor engagement at the University.<\/div>\n
The University of Kansas<\/a><\/strong> has named Paul Popiel<\/strong> as the next dean of its School of Music. He has served as interim dean since last January and has been a professor of music since 2010. Popiel, a conductor, was previously director of bands at the School from 2010 to 2022. He succeeds Robert Walzel, who had been in the job from 2010.<\/div>\n
Christopher Marks<\/strong>, professor at the Glenn Korff School of Music since 2006 at the University of Nebraska (UN), where he is also associate dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, takes over as associate vice chancellor for faculty affairs at UN-Lincoln<\/a><\/strong> as of Jan. 8.<\/div>\n
Susan Miller Kotses<\/strong>, current VP of education and community engagement at the Pacific Symphony, is to become executive director of the Los Angeles Chlldren\u2019s Chorus<\/a><\/strong> (LACC) as of February 8. She succeeds Kurt Swanson, an area arts consultant who has been serving as interim since July. Kotses, a former professional singer with advanced degrees in voice performance from Indiana University\u2019s Jacobs School of Music and arts management from Carnegie Mellon University, has an impressive track record at Pacific Symphony where her efforts reached \u201c60,000 constituents, engaging 1,000 volunteers, and training and deploying 50 teaching artists and content creators.\u201d<\/div>\n
Cincinnati May Festival<\/a><\/strong> has promoted Associate Director of Choruses Matthew Swanson<\/strong> to director. He succeeds Robert Porco who retires at the end of the next festival. Swanson joined the 130-member May Festival Chorus as a tenor in 2011 and worked his way up. Currently he oversees the May Festival Youth Chorus. In his new job, which starts in June, he\u2019ll be responsible for preparing the May Festival Chorus for its own annual concerts in May 2024 as well as those with the CSO and the Cincinnati Pops. The Festival\u2019s origins date to 1873; it is a volunteer ensemble.<\/div>\n
The Pacific Chorale<\/a><\/strong> has named its Director of Artistic Production Alex Nelson<\/strong> to the new position of VP of artistic production and operations, effective immediately. Nelson has been with the 200-voice group for six seasons. The new post adds to his current duties day-to-day operations and delivering on the Chorale\u2019s fiscal goals and strategies. He\u2019ll also assist Artistic Director Robert Istad.<\/div>\n
As of March 2024, Sir Nicholas Kenyon<\/strong> will become Chair of Trustees at Arcangelo<\/a><\/strong>, the internationally acclaimed period performance ensemble. He succeeds Rosalyn Wilkinson, in the position since 2014. Kenyon has served as controller of BBC Radio 3 (1992-98), director of the BBC Proms (1996-2007) and managing director of the Barbican Center (2007-2021). Currently chief opera critic of The Telegraph<\/i>, he has in the past been a critic for the New Yorker<\/i>, The Times<\/i> (London), and The Observer<\/i>.<\/div>\n
The Borletti-Buitoni Trust<\/a><\/strong> has announced that Toby Smith<\/strong> is to be its new chief executive. He succeeds the retiring Susan Rivers, who has run the organization since its founding in 2002. The Milan-based trust provides financial support through annual awards, first made in 2003, to help classical instrumentalists, ensembles, and singers in their early 20s and 30s further develop international careers. Smith\u2019s extensive experience as an arts administrator includes a nine-year stint as director of performance and programming at the Royal Northern College of Music and as festival director of the Salisbury International Arts Festival. Most recently he served as associate director of the Greenwich + Docklands International Festival and Global Streets. He also earned a degree in music from the University of York and in 1995 co-founded the Early Opera Company, which specializes in Baroque vocal music.<\/div>\n
Kristen Linfante<\/strong>, executive director and artistic director for Chamber Music Pittsburgh, is to assume the former post with The Knights<\/a><\/strong> as of next month. She\u2019ll be working with the group\u2019s founding Artistic Directors Colin and Eric Jacobsen and succeeding Bridget Mundy, with the Knights for five years. Linfante\u2019s previous position was general manager and director of artistic operations and touring for Apollo\u2019s Fire Baroque Orchestra, an ensemble with which she performed.<\/div>\n
The Eugene (OR) Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has chosen Dave Moss<\/strong>, recent president and CEO of the Hawai\u2019i Symphony Orchestra (HSO), to be its next executive director, effective in January. He succeeds Scott Freck, who left last June after 11 years in the job. Prior to Hawai\u2019i, where he is credited with balancing the orchestra\u2019s check book against the odds of the pandemic, Moss was executive director of Chicago\u2019s Haymarket Opera.<\/div>\n
Bodo Busse<\/strong>, the current general intendant of Germany\u2019s Staatstheater Saarbr\u00fccken, is to take on the same post at Staatsoper Hannover<\/a><\/strong> as of 2025-26, succeeding American Laura Berman.<\/div>\n
Aaron Doty<\/strong>, current VP and general manager of the Grand Rapids Symphony, is to be the new president and CEO of the Reno (NV) Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>. His appointment caps a search that began last summer, with David Hyslop serving as interim. Doty\u2019s past positions include orchestra personnel & operations manager for the Washington National Opera; he has been in his current position for four years and holds an MM in conducting from Ohio University.<\/div>\n
The Welsh National Opera<\/a><\/strong> has tapped Christopher Barron<\/strong> to be interim general director in early January 2024. He follows Aidan Lang, who is retiring at the end of this year after four years in the position. Barron has considerable high-level experience as an arts administrator. Among his postings: an early role as general manager of the Edinburgh International Festival, chief executive of Birmingham Royal Ballet and of Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet, and artistic director and chief executive of the Brighton Festival and Dome.<\/div>\n
November 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Stanford Live<\/a><\/strong>, the multi-genre performing arts presenter at Stanford University, has named Iris Nemani<\/strong>, chief programming officer of Toronto\u2019s Harbourfront Centre, as its next director. She arrives in April and succeeds Chris Lorway, who was also from Toronto; Lorway left last April to become president and CEO of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Part of Nermani\u2019s remit will be to collaborate with the university\u2019s department of music. She arrives as a member of the senior arts leadership team under Deborah Cullinan, Stanford\u2019s vice president for the arts and acting director of Stanford Live.<\/div>\n
The Music School of Delaware<\/a><\/strong>, an accredited community institution serving its home state and nearby environs, will have a new president and CEO as it enters its centennial year in 2024. He is Stephen Beaudoin<\/strong>, an energetic music executive on the rise in the Washington, D.C., area. Beaudoin, who sits on the board of the Beaudoin Family Foundation, arrives in Delaware after just over a year as executive director of New Jersey\u2019s South Orange Performing Arts Center.<\/div>\n
Christopher White<\/strong>, head of music at Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2016, is to be the next head of opera at the Royal Academy of Music<\/a><\/strong>, his alma mater. He starts next September, succeeding Brenda Hurley who is moving to the role of visiting professor after four years in the job. White has been working under her as head of the vocal faculty, opera, at the Academy for the last year.<\/div>\n
Aviel Cahn<\/strong> arrives at the new intendant of Deutsche Oper Berlin<\/a><\/strong> in 2026-27 (and Runnicles exits as music director), he leaves his current post as general manager of the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve where his successor is to be Alain Perroux<\/strong>, a former dramaturge at Gen\u00e8ve who served as director of artistic administration and dramaturge at the Festival d\u2019Aix-en-Provence from 2009 to 2020. Perroux is a former music critic for the Journal de Gen\u00e8ve<\/i> and for Le Temps<\/i>.<\/div>\n
Tom Philpott<\/strong>, acting co-director of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, as well as director of planning for that organization, is to move to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> in March as its director of artistic planning and partnerships. The post is a new one, created in the wake of Managing Director James Williams\u2019s departure next summer to be director of the Royal College of Music.<\/div>\n
Prague Summer Nights: Young Artists Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>, which is produced by Classical Movements and its CEO Neeta Helms, has named Derek Maselhoff<\/strong> to be its next director, while renewing the contract of Artistic Director John Nardolillo. Maselhoff is Classical Next\u2019s operations manager; previously he was director of artistic planning for the National Youth Orchestra of China.<\/div>\n
Helen Wallace<\/strong> is to be the new head of music at London\u2019s Barbican Centre<\/a><\/strong>, effective in February of 2024. She succeeds Will Gompertz, who this past August announced he would leave the Barbican after a three-year tenure to become director of the Sir John Soane\u2019s Museum this January. Wallace is currently the artistic and executive director at Kings Place, where she first assumed an advisory role in 2009. She became director of programming in 2018, and rose to her current post in 2020.<\/div>\n
Sean Michael Gross<\/strong>, who has headed up Warner Classics<\/a><\/strong> in the U.K. since 2021, has added North America to his portfolio and will now split his time between London and the U.S. He will continue to report to Alain Lanceron, president, Warner Classics and Erato. During the past two years in London, Gross has been credited with growing the Warner label\u2019s market share, introducing emerging artists such as Abel Selaocoe, Fatma Said and RIOPY, and leading the successful campaign to make the Official Classical Charts more inclusive.<\/div>\n
As of January 2024, Sarah Meyers<\/strong> is to be the new artistic director at On Site Opera<\/a><\/strong>, where she will succeed Eric Einhorn, who co-founded the New York City-based company in 2012. Meyers brings extensive experience as a director of traditional opera and site-specific projects as well as the developer of new works. She has been a member of the directing staff at the Metropolitan Opera for more than a decade and has also worked at a number of regional companies as well as at On Site.<\/div>\n
October 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Paul Wiancko<\/strong>, newly arrived cellist of the Kronos Quartet, has been chosen to succeed the late Geoff Nuttall as director of the chamber music series at the Spoleto Festival USA<\/a><\/strong>. Spoleto General Director & CEO Mena Mark Hanna said the new man will be \u201can engine of ingenuity for Spoleto,\u201d noting that he would be exploring the new and usual and \u201csubverting our expectations of what is western and non-western, canonic and not canonic, new and old.\u201d<\/div>\n
Edwaard Liang<\/strong> is to be the new artistic director of the Washington Ballet<\/a><\/strong>. Liang comes to the D.C. Company after a decade as artistic director of BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, where he nearly doubled the organization\u2019s budget and choreographed 21 works. A native of Taiwan who was raised in California, the 48-year-old Liang danced with the New York City Ballet and Nederlands Dans Theater and has created ballets for the San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Moscow\u2019s Bolshoi Ballet, and Chicago\u2019s Joffrey Ballet. Since 2008 he has also choreographed five works for his new company.<\/div>\n
Alessandra Ferri<\/strong> will become the new director of the Vienna State Ballet<\/a><\/strong> in September of 2025, succeeding Martin Schl\u00e4pfer, in the position since the 2020\/21 season. A Milanese native, the 60-year-old Ferri was principal dancer at the Royal Ballet and the American Ballet Theater, and remains prima ballerina assoluta at La Scala. During her career, she has made guest appearances with all the major international companies and directed the dance programming of the Spoleto Festival from 2008 to 2014.<\/div>\n
Succeeding Paul Helfrich as executive director of the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> is Karina Bharne<\/strong>, currently in that job with Symphony Tacoma in Washington. Prior to her five years in Tacoma, Bharne served as interim executive director of the San Antonio Symphony, part of Michael Kaiser\u2019s team to put that orchestra, now defunct, on solid footing.<\/div>\n
Brenna Corner<\/strong>, a freelance opera director currently based in Atlanta, has been appointed artistic director at Pacific Opera Victoria<\/a><\/strong>. She succeeds Founding Artistic Director Timothy Vernon, 75, who retired in June after 23 years. Corner\u2019s directing credits range from Glimmerglass and the Washington National Opera to the Vancouver, Calgary, and Israeli operas, and from standard repertoire to new work.<\/div>\n
At Arabella Arts<\/a><\/strong>, founded three years ago by Stefana Atlas and Samantha Scully, Guiomar Blanco<\/strong> arrives in the new position of head of European strategy and artist manager. Characterized as a \u201cmanager, pianist, and musicologist with 20 years of international experience,\u201d Blanco formerly headed Music Management GB; her CV also includes stints at Spanish agencies Agencia Camera and Conciertos Augusto.<\/div>\n
At Alliance Artist Management<\/a><\/strong>, Andrew Pudvah<\/strong>, former West Coast booking manager at IMG Artists, has joined the firm\u2019s booking team. He boasts 25 years in the field, 14 of them with National Geographic, where he is credited with expanding its live speakers series considerably.<\/div>\n
The Oslo Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has selected Knut Skansen<\/strong> as its new managing director as of Jan.1, 2024. He succeeds Ingrid R\u00f8ynesdal, who became director of the National Museum on Oct. 1. Skansen, who has a degree in literature, joins the Philharmonic from the Deichman Library in Oslo, Norway’s largest cultural institution. He has been at the library for almost two decades, during which time he oversaw the construction of the new library in the Bj\u00f8rvika neighborhood of the nation\u2019s capital city.<\/div>\n
Brian Speck<\/strong>, former director of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, has joined the Metropolitan Opera<\/a><\/strong> as artistic administrator. He succeeds Paul Hopper, who moved last May from associate artistic administrator at the Met to senior director of artistic planning at the LA Opera. At the Met, Speck works with Michael Heaston, assistant general manager, artistic, on casting and planning with a focus on small roles and covers.<\/div>\n
Colin Michael Brush<\/strong> is the new director of the Sarah and Ernest Butler Houston Grand Opera Studio<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Brian Speck, in the position since 2015, and comes to Houston from ADA Artists\/UIA Talent in Berlin, where he managed a roster of artists performing in European and other international markets. As director of the studio, Brush will oversee the artistic development of the program\u2019s emerging artists while also identifying and recruiting future candidates from within the U.S. and around the world for HGO seasons.<\/div>\n
Amy Cassello<\/strong>, associate director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music<\/a><\/strong> since 2020, is to serve as its artistic director on an interim basis, following the exit of David Binder in July. Binder will remain as advisor until 2024. Cassello arrived at BAM in 2012, as associate producer of the Next Wave Festival and has been on the rise at the company ever since.<\/div>\n
Central City Opera<\/a><\/strong>, which came close to losing its entire summer season due to thorny AGMA negotiations, has named Scott Finlay<\/strong> as its new president and CEO. He succeeds Pamela Pantos, who exited rather suddenly in July. Finlay has been serving as one of the two interims in the time since. Previously he was the company\u2019s VP of development, a post he came to not long after Pantos\u2019s arrival, in June 2022.<\/div>\n
Sue Elliott<\/strong> is to be general director and CEO of the Calgary Opera<\/a><\/strong> as of November 20, 2023. She succeeds Heather Kitchen, who is retiring after five years in the job and 40 in arts administration. Elliott arrives to the 50-year-old opera troupe after serving as chief audience officer at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA. Prior to that she was the inaugural director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra\u2019s Linde Center\/Tanglewood Learning Center.<\/div>\n
September 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Scott Altman<\/strong>, current president and CEO of the Cincinnati Ballet, onetime opera singer and opera company executive, is to be the new president and CEO of the Los Angeles Master Chorale<\/a><\/strong> as of January 2. He succeeds Jean Davidson, who exited in March. Commenting on Altman\u2019s appointment, Master Chorale Artistic Director Grant Gershon said the new man\u2019s vision was \u201cfully aligned with my own\u201d and pointed to the Chorale as \u201cramping up for a major expansion of all our activities.\u201d<\/div>\n
Alfrelynn Roberts<\/strong> has joined the Portland (OR) Opera<\/a><\/strong> as director of artistic planning and operations; she comes to Portland from Fort Worth Opera, where she was associate artistic director & chorus master from 2018-2023. Roberts succeeds Priti Gandhi, in the job from 2021 until she was named associate director of the Met Opera Laffont Competition in September 2023. Roberts reports to Portland General Director Sue Dixon. Damien Geter is listed on the company website as interim music director and artistic advisor.<\/div>\n
The Southwest Florida Symphony<\/a><\/strong> (SWFS), located in Fort Myers, has named Raniero Tazzi<\/strong> as its new artistic and operations director. Entering its 63rd season the 70-member ensemble is led by music director Radu Paponiu and offers a 5-concert masterwork series as well as three pop concerts. In his new role, Tazzi will oversee concert and event production, as well as auditions. \u201cRaniero is the perfect fit for our team,\u201d said Amy Ginsburg, executive director of the SWFS, citing \u201chis diverse experience and community familiarity.<\/div>\n
Priti Gandhi<\/strong> is the new associate director of the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition<\/a><\/strong>. She succeeds Brady Walsh, who left the job in August. Gandhi comes to the Met after serving as artistic director of the Portland Opera for just two years. Previously she was chief artistic officer of the Minnesota Opera and, before that of the San Diego Opera, where she made her debut as a soprano, then mezzo soprano in 1996 and then returned seven years later as artistic administrator. Gandhi has sung with Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, Theatre du Chatelet, the Royal Opera House, New York City Opera, and San Francisco Opera, among others, and appeared with orchestras from the New York Philharmonic to the Philadelphia Orchestra. She has also been a writer, publishing a weekly behind the scenes in opera column for The San Diego Union-Tribune<\/i>.<\/div>\n
Jenny Wong<\/strong> is the San Francisco Symphony Chorus<\/a><\/strong> director as of the 2023-24 season, also the ensemble\u2019s 50th. She is the fourth person to take the job, joining an impressive lineage: Louis Magor (1974\u20131982), Vance George (1983\u20132007), and Ragnar Bohlin (2007\u20132021), who resigned in protest of the orchestra\u2019s vaccination mandate. Margaret Hillis served as interim during the 1982\u201383 season. Also associate artistic director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Wong, a native of Hong Kong, has conducted choruses for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Industry, Long Beach Opera, and more. She holds a DMA and an MM from the University of Southern California and a BA in voice performance from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.<\/div>\n
Violinist Abi Fayette<\/strong> has succeeded cellist Jim Wilson as artistic director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. She is also a recent member of the Catalyst Quartet, succeeding Jessie Montgomery. The 29-year-old artist holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from the Curtis Institute, where she was concertmaster of the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, and a master\u2019s degree from the New England Conservatory. She has been a member of Orpheus since 2020; her sister, 31-year-old cellist Madeline Fayette, has also joined the orchestra.<\/div>\n
On Sept. 1, Sarah Cole<\/strong> became Interim Dean of the School of the Arts at Columbia University<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Carol Becker, who was in the role for 16 years. Cole will step aside from her current post as the Dean of Humanities for the duration of her interim assignment. She is also the Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature. A scholar of literary modernism, Cole has co-founded the NYNJ Modernism Seminar and founded Columbia\u2019s Humanities War and Peace and Climate Humanities initiatives. Her teaching ranges across the 19th and 20th centuries, and includes topics such as war and violence, the body and sexuality, Irish literature, and the works of Woolf, Eliot, Wells, Joyce, and others.<\/div>\n
The Boston Baroque<\/a><\/strong>, approaching is 50th-anniversary season in 2023-24, has appointed Sarah Radcliffe-Marrs<\/strong> as its next executive director, as of November 1st. She succeeds Jennifer Ritvo Hughes, who in July was appointed CEO of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic. Radcliffe-Marrs was most recently executive director of Blue Heron, a Boston-area vocal ensemble specializing in Renaissance and medieval vocal music. Previously, she held roles in the artistic and concert operations departments at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and at the Celebrity Series of Boston. A native of the U.K., she earned undergraduate and master’s degrees in music and musicology from the University of Oxford, subsequently working for the Royal College of Music, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the BBC Proms & Radio 3. She moved to the U.S. in 2012.<\/div>\n
In Maine, Renia Shterenberg<\/strong> is the new administrative chief of the Bangor Symphony<\/a><\/strong> and the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestras<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Sarah S. P. McCarthy. A former violinist, Shterenberg is the recent general manager of the Britt Festival Orchestra in Jacksonville, OR, and onetime executive director of the Olmos Ensemble chamber-music group in San Antonio, TX. Lucas Richman is music director and conductor of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra.<\/div>\n
The Concours musical international de Montr\u00e9al<\/a><\/strong> (CMIM) has chosen a leadership team from within to succeed Christiane LeBlanc, who announced her retirement last February and left in May. She had served as both executive and artistic director since 2012. In her stead, Chantal Poulin<\/strong> becomes executive director and Shira Gilbert<\/strong> artistic director. The two women have been critical players in the last three editions of the Concours and have collaborated in the post since LeBlanc\u2019s departure. Poulin is the longer tenured of the duo, joining the CMIM in 2019 and fulfilling successive roles in communications, logistics, and production before becoming part of the general management team in August 2021. Previous to joining Concours, she was a consultant, best known for her management of 360-degree projects and large-scale events. She earned a Bachelor\u2019s degree in History, followed by a Master of Arts, at the Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al. Gilbert arrived at the CMIM in the fall of 2022 after working as a communications consultant with numerous musicians and presenters. During a stint as publicity manager for Universal Classics Group (Deutsche Grammophon and Decca), Gilbert worked closely with such prestigious artists as Ren\u00e9e Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, and Anna Netrebko.<\/div>\n
The Monterey Jazz Festival<\/a><\/strong> has announced that composer and musician Darin Atwater<\/strong> is to succeed Tim Jackson as artistic director. Jackson is retiring after leading the world\u2019s longest continuously running jazz festival for 32 years. A Washington, DC, native, Atwater studied at Morgan State University and Peabody Conservatory before embarking on a more than 20-year career that has included roles as an artistic director, composer, conductor, pianist, vocalist, and cultural advocate.<\/div>\n
David J. Kitto<\/strong>, executive director of the National Theater Foundation in Washington, D.C., is to be the new executive director of the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> as of October 30. He succeeds Steven Ovitsky, who last fall announced his intention to retire at the end of the current season, on August 31. He has been in the job for 20 years. In his current job since 2019, Kitto oversees all operations, educational programs, fundraising, marketing, and capital planning. Previously he served as the interim president of The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center \/ La Jolla Music Society (2018-19), senior VP of marketing and sales at the Kennedy Center (2001-2017), where he worked with an annual operating budget of over $200 million, and director of marketing and ticket operations at Carnegie Hall (1983 to 2000). He holds a BA in Music and an M.A. in Arts Administration, both from the University of Michigan.<\/div>\n
The San Francisco Opera<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Georgi Kelly<\/strong> as chief philanthropy officer effective October 2, where she succeeds Lisa Bury, who left the company last spring. Kelly joins the SFO from KQED, the San Francisco-based NPR and PBS member station, where she first came to work in 2001 and rose, by 2016, to become VP of development. In her capacity she oversaw the $135 million Campaign 21 as well as all fundraising activities for the $105-million public media organization.<\/div>\n
Susan Avila<\/strong> joined the Los Angeles Music Center<\/a><\/strong> as senior VP of advancement in September. She follows Valentine Gelman, in the position since 2016. Avila served most recently at the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco, first as VP of advancement from 2000 to 2008 and then as senior VP from 2008 to 2023. Other previous postings included the director of development at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.<\/div>\n
August 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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David Hyslop<\/strong> is the new interim president and CEO of the Reno (NV) Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>. Hyslop\u2019s most recent post was at the helm of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. He has held CEO positions with the Oregon Symphony (1972-1978), the St. Louis Symphony (1978-1991), and the Minnesota Orchestra (1991-2003). Since then, he has served interim CEO for the Omaha, Dallas, Louisville, Stockton, and South Dakota symphonies, the Orlando and Oklahoma City philharmonics, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, and Dallas Summer Musicals.<\/div>\n
Santa Barbara chamber music group Camerata Pacifica<\/strong><\/a> announced that its new executive director, in the job since June 1, is Ana Papakhian<\/strong>. Papakhian\u2019s most recent position was at the Music Academy (of the West), where she served as chief marketing and communications officer; previously she was director of communications for The Cleveland Orchestra and the Indianapolis Symphony.<\/div>\n
The Moab Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has a new executive director in Amy Weiser<\/strong>, most recently city manager for Moab. She joins founders Artistic Director\/violist Leslie Tomkins and Music Director\/pianist Michael Barrett in oversight of the 31-year-old event, which this season runs through September 15 and hosts 23 performances in a wide variety of outdoor and historic venues.<\/div>\n
Patty Isacson Sabee<\/strong>, current executive director of Planet Word in Washington, D.C., former CEO of the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, is to succeed Wayne S. Brown as president and CEO of the Detroit Opera<\/strong><\/a>. Isacson Sabee previously worked in a number of capacities for the Seattle Symphony and is married to one of its players. She is a graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa.<\/div>\n
New York\u2019s Juilliard School<\/a><\/strong> has announced the appointment of a new assistant dean and director of chamber music. Merry Peckham<\/strong>, a cellist, educator, and experienced arts administrator will take up the role at the beginning of January 2024. Peckham is currently associate director and director of the chamber music workshop for the Perlman Music Program as well as chair of chamber music at the New England Conservatory.<\/div>\n
The Ulster Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has added the position of artistic director and deputy chief executive with the appointment of Patrick McCarthy<\/strong>, Ulster’s former principal trumpet and head of artistic planning. He will report to CEO Auveen Sands, the former corporate banker who was promoted from COO to the top job about one year ago.<\/div>\n
British countertenor Andrew Watts<\/strong> is to succeed Ivan van Kalmthout as general director of the International Vocal Competition (IVC) ‘s-Hertogenbosch<\/a><\/strong>, effective September 1. Celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2024, the competition this year focuses on LiedDuo, with the live rounds scheduled to run October 10-15; baritone Bo Skovhus is chairman of the international jury. Past laureates range from Elly Ameling to Thomas Hampson to Pretty Yende.<\/div>\n
Timo H. Buckow<\/strong> is the new artistic director of the annual Rheingau Musik Festival<\/a><\/strong> in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany. His arrival in fact is a return; he started his professional career in 2006 in the artistic administration department of the festival. Buckow has been working his way up the ladder ever since, with occasional forays elsewhere\u2014including Pro Arte Frankfurt and Wiesbaden Musik.<\/div>\n
Ottavio Dantone<\/strong> is to be the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s next music director and succeeds Alessandro De Marchi, artistic director of the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, whose 47th edition, focusing on Vivaldi concluded at the end of August. De Marchi recently was presented with the Ring of Honor of the City of Innsbruck by the Mayor for his many years of service. Current Operations Director Mag. Eva-Maria Sens will take over as artistic director.<\/div>\n
Shauna Quill<\/strong>, current executive director of the New York Youth Symphony (NYSS), is to succeed Scott Reed as president and CEO of the Music Academy<\/a><\/strong>, formerly known as the Music Academy of the West. Quill\u2019s 12 years at the helm of NYYS included introducing new programs for NYC teenage students; forming partnerships with Interlochen, Harlem School of the Arts, and the Orchestra of St. Luke\u2019s, among others; and expanding the orchestra\u2019s repertoire. She has also raised its profile considerably, including performances on CBS Sunday Morning<\/i>, Jimmy Kimmel Live!<\/i>, and CNN.<\/div>\n
Carlo Fuortes<\/strong>, who resigned as head of the Italian public broadcaster RAI last May, is in at Teatro San Carlo<\/a><\/strong> in Naples as general manager. Prior to his RAI job, Fuortes was superintendent of the Teatro dell\u2019Opera di Roma.<\/div>\n
Isaac Thompson<\/strong>, managing director of the New York Philharmonic, is to be the next president and CEO of the Oregon Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, moving from No. 2 at the former to No. 1 in Oregon. He starts in October. Thompson\u2019s accomplishments in New York are impressive: playing a key role in planning both Van Zweden\u2019s inaugural season as well as the orchestra\u2019s initial season in the new David Geffen Hall. He\u2019s also responsible for the NY Phil Bandwagon, a big hit during the pandemic, as well as a variety of other community-in reach projects and the Nightcap contemporary music series.<\/div>\n
Overture Center for the Arts<\/strong><\/a> has selected Jenie Dahlmann<\/strong> as chief marketing and communications officer, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on July 5, 2023. Dahlmann most recently served as the director of marketing & engagement at the Younes & Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts in Northridge, CA, where she was responsible for securing $2.5M in earned revenue and $500k in contributed revenue.<\/div>\n
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) has chosen Brandon Ragland<\/strong> as Dayton Ballet<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s artistic director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on August 1, 2023. Ragland, a seasoned ballet professional with over 15 years of experience, joins Dayton from the esteemed Louisville Ballet. During his tenure there, he excelled as a principal dancer, skillfully managed the Louisville Ballet School’s pre-professional program, and contributed his creative prowess as a resident choreographer.<\/div>\n
The Young People\u2019s Chorus of New York City<\/strong><\/a> announced the appointment of Michael Fraccaro<\/strong> as chair of its board of directors, which he joined in 2018. Mr. Fraccaro currently serves as the chief people officer (CPO) for Mastercard, where his proven ability to grow organizations through innovative approaches aligns with YPC\u2019s vision to strengthen and expand its impact among youth and throughout the chorus industry.<\/div>\n
Jensen Artist<\/a>s<\/strong> announced the appointment of Gina Meola<\/strong> to the role of vice president of artist management and booking. Effective immediately, Meola will be promoted from director of artist bookings to her new role. Having joined Jensen Artists in 2015 as the agency’s first booking agent, Meola has, for the last eight years, worked to shape the careers of Jesen Artists\u2019 artists and ensembles, all with a dedication to bringing classical music to the widest possible audience.<\/div>\n
July 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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West Virginia\u2019s Wheeling Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (WSO) has hired Sonja Thoms<\/strong> as its new executive director. Thoms has been VP of operations for the Nashville Symphony since 2015. She holds an MM in oboe performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and has performed with Lucerne Academy Orchestra, the New World Symphony, and Alarm Will Sound, among others. In 2019, she launched OrchestraCareers.com, a mentoring\/job hunting website.<\/div>\n
San Diego Opera<\/a><\/strong> has a new chief development director in Llewellyn Crain<\/strong>, who comes to the organization from the city\u2019s Old Globe theatre, where she has been director of philanthropy since 2016. Across her seven-year tenure there, she is credited with increasing the donor pool by 200 percent and the annual fund by over 40 percent and helping to restore the organization\u2019s finances, post-pandemic. In her new job, she\u2019ll have many of the same duties, as well as overseeing special events. She\u2019ll report to General Director David Bennett and becomes part of the senior staff.<\/div>\n
The Louisville Youth Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (LYO), now in its 65th year, has announced the appointment of Matthew Vanover<\/strong> as executive director. He arrives from a similar position at the Immanuel School of Music at Immanuel Church in Louisville. LYO currently serves some 250 students who play in various ensembles, from chamber to full orchestra, and train under a staff of 15.<\/div>\n
The Shed<\/a><\/strong> has hired the CEO of the Boston Ballet, Meredith Hodges<\/strong>, for the same role. The move is necessitated by Alex Poots\u2019s decision in January to focus solely on matters artistic rather than attempting to continue as both CEO and artistic director. Poots will report to Hodges, also known as Max. Hodges, a Harvard MBA, has a pretty stunning track record. In Boston, she increased the endowment from $14 million to $36 million during her nine-year tenure; the 60-year-old company\u2019s attendance record in 2022-23, of 170,000, was its second highest on record.<\/div>\n
Ballet Hisp\u00e1nico<\/a><\/strong>, which self-defines as the largest Latinx\/Latine\/Hispanic cultural organization in the U.S., comprised of a dance company, school, and community-partnership hub, has created the new position of chief managing director and named Patrick Muhlen<\/strong> as its first appointee. He will report to Artistic Director & Chief Executive Officer Eduardo Vilaro, taking on all of the \u201cexecutive office\u201d functions. Muhlen, a lawyer with a BA from the University of Sydney, is the previous managing director of the Washington Ballet and chief development officer of the San Diego Opera. He has also worked in development for the Los Angeles and Houston Grand operas and, prior to moving to the U.S., held assorted financial directorships in the government of New South Wales.<\/div>\n
The San Antonio Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, the new iteration of the defunct San Antonio Symphony, has named onetime local city council member and architect Roberto Trevi\u00f1o<\/strong> as its first ever executive director. He will move from his position on the Philharmonic board of directors to the administrative post. The orchestra describes him as a creative problem solver with a commitment to the arts, borne out in his former chairmanship of the City Council Arts and Culture Committee. The orchestra plans two performances each of ten programs in its first full, 2023-24 season.<\/div>\n
Jennifer Ritvo Hughes<\/strong> exits as executive director of the Boston Baroque for the last four years to become CEO of the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, a key fund-raising post for the Israeli orchestra of the same name. She succeeds Danielle Ames Spivak, in the job for 12 years. At Boston Baroque, Hughes was responsible for managing education, strategic planning, finances, operations and development. Previously she was executive director of the Boston-based Cantata Singers for over six years and, before that, director of publicity and coordination for the arts at Wellesley College, a position from which she ran the school\u2019s concert series. She holds a BA from Wellesley and a BM from Brandeis University.<\/div>\n
The Greeley (CO) Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has moved Ben Barnhart<\/strong>, its acting executive director since February, to the position permanently. He succeeds Nick Kenney, who left in January for a job in financial planning. The GPO is a fully professional regional ensemble, said to be in business for over a century. Barnhart is a fund-raising executive and has worked with the county humane society, Iowa State University, the University of Northern Colorado, and the American Red Cross.<\/div>\n
June 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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As of October 1, 2023, Philip Setzer<\/strong>, violinist in the soon-to-retire Emerson String Quartet, takes the post of The Manchester (VT) Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s artistic director, with pianist Jenny Lin<\/strong> taking over from Betsy Bleakie as executive director. In addition to his work with the Emerson, Setzer is the Distinguished Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at SUNY Stony Brook and Visiting Faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Music. The festival he is about to take over boasts a teaching element at its core. Jenny Lin is a Steinway artist with some 50 recordings to her credit. She is on the faculty of the Mannes School at the New School.<\/div>\n
The Los Angeles Children\u2019s Chorus<\/a><\/strong> has brought Kurt J. Swanson<\/strong> on board as interim executive director. Swanson, over the last 30 years, has served on the business side of the Skylight Comic Opera, DanceCircus, and the Steppenwolf Theater, among others. Lately he has taken a particular interest in interim work, serving as interim general manager of The Broad Stage in Santa Monica and interim COO of The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, where he led the senior staff during a time of transition to a new CEO.<\/div>\n
The Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (SYSO) has named Andrew Krus<\/strong> as its next executive director, effective in August. Krus is a former SYSO board member whose experience includes 17 years as director of performing and visual arts at the Lakeside School in Seattle. His tenure there included capital campaigns for the renovation of two theaters and the launch of an orchestral education program. Krus succeeds Kathleen Allen, who left last fall after 12 years with the organization. SYSO is not affiliated with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.<\/div>\n
Sarah Curran<\/strong>, an arts consultant who has been acting as executive director of the University of Chicago\u2019s presenting series, has moved into the position permanently. She succeeds Amy Iwano, who exited UChicago Presents<\/a><\/strong> (UCP) in 2021 to become executive and artistic director of Performance Santa Fe. Curran is identified as having broad experience across all the performing arts, the visual arts, and film. She is the former director of the Center for the Arts at Wesleyan University, where she simultaneously served as managing director of the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP. For the eight previous years, Curran was with Stanford Arts as the director of programming and partnerships.<\/div>\n
Jessica Zweig<\/strong> will succeed Co-founder Stanford Thompson as executive director of Play on Philly<\/a><\/strong> (POP), which brings music instruction to thousands of Philadelphia school children. She has been with the 13-year-old organization since 2016 and has played a key role in bringing the El Sistema-based program into the national limelight. She starts July 17.<\/div>\n
Ravinia Steans Music Institute<\/a><\/strong> (RSMI), now in its 35th year as the educational arm of the famed summer festival, has appointed Midori<\/strong> to be artistic director of its piano and strings program, which runs June 23-July 24, 2024. She succeeds Miriam Fried, currently in her final season after having started in the job in 1994. Midori will oversee coaching and visiting faculty for a program geared to practice and performance by ensembles comprised of young string players and pianists. Part of her remit is recruitment.<\/div>\n
The Florida Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (TFO), which prides itself on being the largest orchestra in the state, has named the Spanish industrialist-cum-orchestra manager Ignacio Barr\u00f3n Viela<\/strong> as its next CEO. Barr\u00f3n Viela has been CEO of the Reno (NV) Philharmonic for the last nine months. Previously he served in the same capacity at the Billings (MT) Philharmonic, annual budget $2 million, for four years. TFO reports that he \u201cdoubled the symphony\u2019s net worth and endowment\u201d while there.<\/div>\n
SFJAZZ<\/a> <\/strong>has appointed Terence Blanchard<\/strong> to the newly created position of executive artistic director. The seven-time Grammy Winner and two-time Academy Award Nominee will oversee the organization\u2019s artistic programming and creative direction, expand its digital platform, and further develop community engagement and educational offerings. A renowned composer, bandleader, and trumpet player, Blanchard has been a genre-stretching artist for more than 40 years whose work includes not only performing but writing film scores, crafting television series soundscapes, and, lately, conceiving grand operas. He has also taught at, among others, the Berklee Institute of Music, The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and is Chair of Jazz Studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.<\/div>\n
The Los Angeles\u2013based experimental opera producer The Industry<\/a><\/strong> has selected Tim Griffin<\/strong> as its next executive director. He succeeds Cordelia Istel, who has served in an interim capacity. A former editor-in-chief of Artforum<\/i> and onetime director of the Kitchen, Griffin was most recently a visiting professor in the art history and English departments at Ohio State University in Columbus. He remains a contributing editor of Artforum<\/i>.<\/div>\n
Michelle Williams<\/strong>, head of casting for the English National Opera since 2016, is to be the new director of artistic administration for the Garsington Opera<\/a><\/strong> as of next September. She succeeds Laura Canning, the new general director and CEO of Opera North. Williams, who studied singing at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, was previously with the Scottish Opera, most recently as head of casting. In comments, Artistic Director Douglas Boyd noted her \u201cbroad experience and skills\u201d as essential in casting and developing young artists.<\/div>\n
The Apollo<\/a><\/strong>, the iconic Harlem performing arts center dedicated to Black arts and culture, has tapped Michelle Ebanks<\/strong> as its next president and CEO. Recently in the same position with Essence Communications, she succeeds Jonelle Procope, whose tenure of more than two decades proved transformative for the 109-year-old institution. Ebanks brings to her new position an impressive record of achievement in print and electronic media. Beginning her career as corporate business manager for Cond\u00e9 Nast\u2019s 13 titles, she then joined Time Inc., initially as the general manager and financial director for Money<\/i> magazine. As vice president in Time Inc.\u2019s corporate division, she led the acquisition of Essence and then assumed the position of CEO of Essence Communications.<\/div>\n
Scott Guzielek<\/strong> has been named to lead The Academy of Vocal Arts<\/a><\/strong>; he has been the organization\u2019s VP and general manager since 2019. He starts July 1, precisely four years after he first arrived from the Palm Beach Opera, where he was artistic director. Guzielek is credited with helping to guide AVA students through Covid-19 and increasing contributed and earned income. He holds a BA in vocal performance from the State University of New York College at Geneseo and an MA in arts management from American University.<\/div>\n
Riley Nicholson<\/strong> will be the next executive director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music<\/a><\/strong>. Nicholson is the current executive director of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA). Accomplishments during Nicholson\u2019s three years at SoNA include forming a strategic plan, prioritizing DEI and community in-reach efforts, and increasing educational activity. Nicholson holds a master\u2019s degree in composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and BA degrees in psychology and percussion from the University of Memphis.<\/div>\n
Northwestern University\u2019s Bienen School of Music<\/a><\/strong> has hired Jonathan Bailey Holland<\/strong> as dean, starting in September and succeeding Toni-Marie Montgomery, who exits at summer\u2019s end after 20 years in the job. Holland is the current head of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, a job he has held for less than one year. Holland\u2019s works have been performed by the Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, and National symphonies, as well as contemporary ensembles such as Eighth Blackbird and Roomful of Teeth. Holland holds a Ph.D. in music from Harvard University and a BM from the Curtis Institute of Music, where his teachers included Ned Rorem, a Bienen alumnus. He is a native of Flint, MI.<\/div>\n
The College of Fine Arts at The University of Texas at Austin<\/a><\/strong> has named Cuban and Latin American music scholar and administrator Susan Thomas<\/strong> as director of the Butler School of Music, effective July 1. Thomas joins the Butler School from the University of Colorado Boulder. She will hold the Florence Thelma Hall Centennial Chair in Music. Thomas received significant grant funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission for which she is leading research projects related to the music cultures of southern Colorado and photoplay music for silent film. While directing the AMRC, she also founded the journal, Americas: A Hemispheric Music Journal<\/i>, for which she serves as editor-in-chief. Prior to coming to Boulder in 2018, she held a joint appointment in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Institute for Women\u2019s Studies at the University of Georgia.<\/div>\n
May 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Sebastian Nordmann<\/strong>, director of the Konzerthaus and Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, is to be the next executive and artistic director of the Lucerne Festival<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Michael Haefliger, who last fall said he would step down after 26 years at the end of 2025. Nordman, 52, starts on January 1, 2026, and will relocate to Lucerne. Nordmann has been with the Konzerthaus since 2009; previously he was artistic and executive director of the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and served as a consultant with the Boston Group in Berlin. In 2008 he is was appointed professor of Cultural Management at the Rostock University of Music and Theatre; he holds degrees in musicology and modern history gained in Heidelberg and Berlin.<\/div>\n
The American Pianists Association<\/a><\/strong> (APA) has hired Chris Williams<\/strong>, executive VP of Concert Artists Guild of five years, to be its next CEO. He starts in July, relocating to Indianapolis and succeeding Peter Mraz, who resigned in July 2022; Joanne Bennett, who has been serving as interim, will return to her post as general manager. Prior to his appointment at CAG, Williams, 38, was for two years with Judson Management Group as vice president; before that he was with Frank Solomon Associates for six years as an artist manager. He holds an MM in viola from Yale, and a BM in viola from the University of North Texas.<\/div>\n
Los Angeles Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has named its COO Daniel Song<\/strong> as interim CEO, effective immediately. The current CEO, Chad Smith, is to take that position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and so will now move in LA to an advisement position. Song was previously LA Phil\u2019s VP of Philharmonic and production for four years. Before that he was VP and general manager at the Aspen Music Festival and before that was with the LA Phil for eight years in development and artistic planning. He holds a BM from the University of Miami.<\/div>\n
The Los Angeles Children\u2019s Chorus<\/a><\/strong>, a broad musical education program that has impacted thousands of students across Southern California since its 1986 founding, has named Fred Meads<\/strong> to be its new associate artistic director. Meads, music director of the Princeton Boychoir, education director for the Westrick Music Academy, both in New Jersey, will conduct LACC\u2019s Preparatory Choir and Intermediate Choir\u2014two of the organization\u2019s progressively advanced seven ensembles\u2014and oversee LACC’s musicianship program. Meads will start on August 1, succeeding the retiring Mandy Brigham.<\/div>\n
The American Youth Symphony<\/a><\/strong> (AYS) has appointed one of its former musicians to be its next executive director. She is Isabel Thiroux<\/strong>, who moved from the AYS viola section in 2007 to become an administrative assistant and then gradually worked her way up the ladder. She most recently had been serving as interim executive director, in the wake of Tara Aesquivel\u2019s departure last June. In comments, Music Director Carlos Izcaray called her \u201can absolute pleasure to work with.\u201d AYS was founded in 1964 by conductor Mehli Mehta.<\/div>\n
Chad Smith<\/strong>, chief executive of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is to be the next CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>; he will succeed his former colleague, Gail Samuel. Save for a brief stint with the New York Philharmonic, in 2006, Smith has been with the LA Phil since 2002 and in the top job for the last four years. As such, he has overseen an annual budget in excess of $150 million, including the Philharmonic, the Hollywood Bowl, Disney Hall, et. al. The BSO\u2019s is in the neighborhood of $110 million, including Tanglewood.<\/div>\n
Lawrence (Larry) Edelson<\/strong>, founding artistic and general director of the American Lyric Theater (ALT), has been announced as the new general director of the Chicago Opera Theater<\/a><\/strong> as of July 1. He will now run both organizations. In Chicago, Edelson succeeds Ashley Magnus, who announced her departure earlier this year; he arrives as COT prepares to launch its 50th-anniversary season. Meaghan Stainback Smallwood has served as interim general director; she will return to her previous position as COT\u2019s director of development on September 1.<\/div>\n
Courtney Beck<\/strong>, executive director of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale, is to move to the same position with Alonzo King LINES Ballet<\/a><\/strong>, also based in the Bay Area. She takes the post held since 2019 by company co-founder (with King) and Creative Director Robert Rosenwasser, who will now focus more on creative matters. Rosenwasser had taken over on an interim basis from Karim Eric Baer, who left in 2017. Beck\u2019s long tenure at PBO saw an increase in budget, programming, and audience reach. Prior to serving as the organization\u2019s top executive, she oversaw its fundraising.<\/div>\n
Toronto early music enterprise Tafelmusik<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Glenn Hodgins <\/strong>, current president and CEO of the Canadian Music Center, as its next executive director, as of June 21. Hodgins, who started his career over three decades ago as Tafelmusik\u2019s touring and operations director, succeeds Carol Kehoe, who exited last June after four years in the job. Hodgins\u2019s nine years at the CMC have led to major advances in fund raising, streaming, publishing, recording, and diversity work. “I am thrilled to return to Tafelmusik, where my career in arts administration began,\u201d he said, noting the uniqueness of being a new leader of an organization \u201calong with [having] a deep understanding of its past.\u201d<\/div>\n
Washington National Opera<\/a><\/strong> has made some staffing adjustments in artistic planning and production. Samuel Gelber<\/strong> has been promoted from director of artistic planning, a post he assumed in 2018 after working in the same capacity with the Los Angeles Opera, to director of artistic planning and operations. New to the company will be Chelsea Antrim Dennis<\/strong>, who arrives in August as director a production, a job she previously held with the Santa Fe Opera. The two are essentially dividing up the responsibilities previously overseen by Paul Horpedahl, a seasoned consultant in the area. Horpedahl has held the title of \u201ctemporary\u201d director of artistic and production operations at WNO since last fall.<\/div>\n
Ben Hartley<\/strong>, CEO and founder of Orama Consulting, whose clientele include \u201cFortune 500 and not-for-profit clients in luxury, media, lifestyle, and culture industries,” is to be the new executive director of Silkroad<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Kathy Fletcher, who served for three years in the job and has remained involved in a consulting capacity. Hartley\u2019s most recent position was executive director of Manhattan’s 125-year-old National Arts Club, where he is credited with a new strategic plan, renovating the building, and creating arts programming \u201cwith a stronger focus on diversity and inclusiveness.\u201d<\/div>\n
The York Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (PA) has named Anthony Wise<\/strong> as its new executive director, effective May 7. As the ensemble\u2019s operations and personnel manager since 2021, Wise succeeds Michael Reichman, now the VP of artistic operations and general manager of the Charlotte (NC) Symphony Orchestra. Wise will be partnering with Lawrence Golan, the orchestra\u2019s music director, to lead the 90-year-old ensemble of professional musicians that offers about ten classical and pops concerts annually on a budget of $1.1 million.<\/div>\n
Keith Elder<\/strong> is to become the new president and CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as of July 1, 2023. He succeeds Mary Tuuk Kuras, who retired in December 2022; Chuck Frayer has been serving as interim. Elder joins the Grand Rapids ensemble from Oklahoma, where he has been the top man at the Tulsa Symphony for four years. Previous postings include senior management positions at the Aspen Music Festival and School, Eastman School of Music, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops, and directing jazz and popular music concerts at Tanglewood Music Center.<\/div>\n
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CYSO), which serves some 10,000 young musicians annually, both at its own facilities and in schools, has named a new executive director in Jennie Oh Brown<\/strong>. She succeeds Susan Lappe, who left in November after five years in the job to become VP of development for the Harris Theatre for Music and Dance. Brown most recently was artistic director with Epiphany Center for the Arts, a landmark venue for which she produced both concerts and educational programs. Before that she was executive and artistic director of Ear Taxi Festival in 2021; founder, director, and faculty member of Credo Flute; and taught at Wheaton College and Elmhurst University. She is on the board of Chamber Music of America.<\/div>\n
April 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Jenny Mollica<\/strong> will assume the post of interim chief executive of the English National Opera<\/a><\/strong> (ENO) next September, succeeding Stuart Murphy, who announced plans to leave last fall. Director of strategy and engagement since 2020, Mollica has been leading the company\u2019s transition and business planning in response to Arts Council England\u2019s mandate that it establish a primary locus of activity outside London, developing new digital programs and strategic partnerships that last year increased and enhanced the engagement with communities throughout the U.K.<\/div>\n
John Kieser<\/strong>, longtime executive VP and provost for the New World Symphony, current director of partnerships for Idagio, will relocate en famille from Germany to Calgary to become president and CEO of Honens<\/a><\/strong>, a triennial piano competition and summer festival. He arrives in July, succeeding Neil Edwards, now CEO of Peggy\u2019s Cove for Arts and Culture in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Marketing and Communications Director Amanda Smith has been serving as interim since November. Pianist Jon Kimura Parker remains artistic director.<\/div>\n
Piper Gunnarson<\/strong>, executive director of On Site Opera<\/a><\/strong> since 2017, has been promoted to the post of general director and CEO, effective May 1. She moves into the top administrative position, soon to be vacated by co-founder and Artistic Director Eric Einhorn. He’ll remain with the company through 2023, with the search for a new artistic director underway. Gunnarson is credited with increasing the staff to seven and more than doubling the budget. Board size and character has also grown, with DEI a particular priority. In comments, Einhorn noted her \u201cvision, leadership, and dedication to our mission.\u201d<\/div>\n
The Cleveland Institute of Music<\/a><\/strong> (CIM) has appointed stage director J.J. Hudson<\/strong> as interim artistic director of its Opera Theater. He will start next fall, stepping in for Dean Southern, now the school\u2019s dean and VP of academic and student affairs. Hudson comes to Cleveland from Georgia State University in Atlanta, where he has been Professor of Practice in Opera since fall 2021. Before that, he served as a guest director with a number of professional and conservatory opera companies. He recently staged Dialogues of the Carmelites<\/i> at CIM.<\/div>\n
Stanford Thompson<\/strong>, founder and former executive director of Philly Pops, is to be the first executive director of Equity Arc<\/a><\/strong>, a new membership organization formerly known as the National Instrumentalist Mentoring & Advancement Network (NIMAN), which self-defines as \u201ca national coalition that works to align, promote, and develop equitable opportunities for musicians of color.\u201d NIMAN had its first convention last month in Cincinnati.<\/div>\n
Laura Canning<\/strong>, director of artistic administration at Garsington Opera, is to be the new general director and CEO of Opera North<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Richard Mantle, who is retiring after 29 years in the job. Canning has been with Garsington\u2014a two-month summer festival on the Wormsley Estate in Buckinghamshire, U.K.\u2014for ten years. Previously, she was artistic administrator at Welsh National Opera until 2008, and with the Houston Grand Opera as director of the Opera Studio young artist training program.<\/div>\n
The Saint Louis Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has hired Paul Pietrowski<\/strong> as its new COO, effective 10 April 2023; Pietrowski most recently was orchestra, production, and operations manager of the Cincinnati Symphony for six years. He held a similar position with the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and before that taught music in Virginia and North Carolina. He holds an MM in trombone performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.<\/div>\n
The Pacific Opera Project<\/a><\/strong> (POP) has a new executive director in Katherine Powers<\/strong>, founding director of vocal arts at California School of the Arts. She is also a vocal coach and singer who has performed with POP in the past. She\u2019ll oversee all administrative aspects, working alongside founder and Artistic Director Josh Shaw. \u201cI\u2019ve been performing with POP since its second season and have watched them grow from an irreverent start-up to a genuine culture-maker in Los Angeles,\u201d Katherine said, citing the company\u2019s \u201cunique mix of ransacked classics, rediscovered gems, and provocative new works,\u201d as well as its educational programs.”<\/div>\n
Brad Cohen<\/strong>, a native of Sydney, is to be the next general director of the New Zealand Opera<\/a><\/strong> (NZO). The former artistic director of the West Australian Opera, he is an active guest conductor of opera and symphonic repertoire, as well as a music editor and publisher. In New Zealand, he succeeds Thomas de Mallet Burgess, in the job for five years before being named artistic director of opera at the Finnish National Opera and Ballet as of August 2023.<\/div>\n
Alessio Vlad<\/strong> has added the Regio Theater of Parma<\/a><\/strong> to his long list of artistic directorships. Effective immediately, he will hold the post for the next three years, working with the new house Superintendent Luciano Messi. Vlad has been artistic director of the Rome Opera (2010 to 2022), the Ravello Festival (2020), Donizetti Theater of Bergamo (1999), Carlo Felice Theater in Genoa (1999 to 2001), Theater of the Muses of Ancona (2004 to 2014), San Carlo Theater in Naples (2006 to 2007). He served as a consultant to the Spoleto Festival of the Two Worlds (2008 to 2020) and to the Royal Opera House of Oman (2011) and is the current artistic director of the Marche Opera Network.<\/div>\n
March 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Emma Stenning<\/strong> is to be the new chief executive of The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(CBSO) as of April 3, 2023. She succeeds Stephen Maddock, who leaves after almost 24 years to become principal at the Royal Birmingham Conservatory. Her arrival coincides with that of Kazuki Yamada, the CBSO\u2019s new chief conductor and artistic advisor. Her most recent post has been as executive director of Toronto\u2019s Soulpepper Theater. Her impressive credentials also include roles as chief executive of Bristol Old Vic, executive director of Battersea Arts Center, head of theater at Arts Council England, and cultural program advisor for the London Organizing Committee for the 2012 Olympic Games.<\/div>\n
Henry Filloux-Bennett<\/strong> has been announced of the new executive director of Opera North<\/a><\/strong>, effective in May. He succeeds David Collins, in the role since October of 2021. Filloux-Bennett Henry is the current executive director and deputy CEO of HOME arts center in Manchester. Among his other past administrative jobs, he served as a producer and general manager for the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Theatre Royal Haymarket. Filloux-Bennett is an author and playwright whose credits include What a Carve Up!, chosen as one of the Guardian\u2019s Top 10 theater shows in 2020. A year later he adapted Oscar Wilde\u2019s The Picture of Dorian Gray, which has been subsequently viewed in over 70 countries.<\/div>\n
Camerata Z\u00fcrich<\/a> <\/strong>has announced violinist Esther Hoppe<\/strong> as its next artistic director, succeeding Igor Karsko, as of the 2025-26 season. A soloist, chamber musician, and professor of violin at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, the Swiss violinist is the former first concertmaster of the Munich Chamber Orchestra and prize winner of the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg. With the Tecchler Trio, she has won the German Music Competition, the Prix Credit Suisse, and first prize at the ARD competition in Munich.<\/div>\n
Seattle Opera<\/a><\/strong> has announced two new appointments starting this month. Marissa Betz-Zall<\/strong> becomes the company\u2019s new chief financial officer (CFO), with Angela Gist<\/strong> as chief operations officer (COO). The new appointees take over from Jane Repensek, who had served as both COO and CFO since 2017. Betz-Zall started work with Seattle Opera in 2013 as a senior accountant and later as a controller. As associate director of finance from 2019 to 2021, she helped steer the company through the pandemic, securing over $11 million in relief funding. In 2021, she left the company to work as CFO client consultant for the remote finance platform RADAR Nonprofit Solutions, where she oversaw the onboarding of multiple new organizations, including Seattle Opera. Returning now as CFO, she will oversee a $25 million budget and be responsible for new funding strategies and ensuring the company\u2019s financial health. Angela Gist joined Seattle Opera in 2021 as director of human resources. As one of the company\u2019s COVID site monitors, over the last two years she was part of a response team that ensured that a not a single performance was cancelled as a result of COVID. Before joining Seattle Opera, she was artistic director of Vashon Center for the Arts and managing director of Freehold Theatre. As COO, she will work with the board to chart the company\u2019s future and oversee the company\u2019s facilities, IT, and HR departments.<\/div>\n
Robert van Leer<\/strong>, most recently VP of artistic planning at the Kennedy Center, is to be the new executive director and CEO of California\u2019s Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performng Arts<\/a><\/strong> as of April 1. He succeeds Rachel Fine, who left in August and is now heading up the Yale Schwarzman Center. Van Leer\u2019s accomplishments at the Kennedy Center, where he oversaw a $90 million budget, include the launch in 2019 of REACH, the indoor\/outdoor space geared to community and new-artist interaction, and the introduction of hip hop and social impact programming.<\/div>\n
The Colorado Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CSO), which celebrates its centennial during the 2023-24 season, has announced that as of May 8, Mark Cantrell<\/strong> will be the ensemble\u2019s new chief executive officer. He succeeds Jerome H. Kern, who retired as CEO and board chairman in September of 2021. For the past 18 months, Coreen Miller, the CSO\u2019s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, has served in an interim capacity. Cantrell is coming to Colorado from the Florida Orchestra, where he has been president and CEO. He had previously headed up the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. Earlier positions included administrative jobs with several Boston music organizations, teaching positions at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts, and performing as a bass trombonist.<\/div>\n
Julie Kent<\/strong>, artistic director of the Washington Ballet since 2016, will join the Houston Ballet<\/a><\/strong> as its first-ever co-artistic director next July, sharing the pivotal role with the current Stanton Welch. A 30-year member of the American Ballet Theater, and as such the longest serving ballerina in ABT\u2019s history, Kent, 53, has danced in more than 100 ballets by some of the most noted choreographers in history. In Washington, she is credited with 27 commissions and with bringing not only new but modern classics to the repertoire.<\/div>\n
Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> (CCCMF), founded in 1979 by pianist Samuel Sanders, announced the appointment of Ray Salva<\/strong> as its new executive director. A seasoned non-profit professional and year-round resident of Osterville, he assumes the position from long-time Executive Director Elaine Lipton, who has been serving most recently in an emeritus role. With more than 20 years of experience working in the performing arts, museum, and social advocacy sectors, Salva has held leadership roles with organizations ranging from Boston\u2019s Handel & Haydn Society to New York City\u2019s American Museum of Natural History. Prior to joining the Festival, he served as the sole development officer for Cape Cod\u2019s largest arts organization, Cape Symphony.<\/div>\n
The Guthrie Theater<\/strong><\/a> (Guthrie) has selected Tracy Brigden<\/strong> as senior artistic producer, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on October 31, 2022. Brigden arrived at the Guthrie having accumulated over 20 years of experience as a dynamic artistic leader and artist in Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theaters. Previously, Brigden served as artistic director at City Theatre Company. During her 16-year tenure, she developed and expanded upon the theatrical offerings and programs that have elevated the company to its respected place as a major incubator for innovative plays and musicals.<\/div>\n
February 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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MacDowell<\/a><\/strong>, one of the oldest artist residency programs in the U.S., has tapped Chiwoniso Kaitano<\/strong> as its new executive director, the organization announced Friday. Kaitano joins MacDowell with a mandate to \u201cintensify outreach to traditionally underrepresented artistic voices,\u201d among other charges, a release said. Kaitano is the former executive director of Girl Be Heard, a nongovernmental organization that uses theater and the performing arts to advocate for social change. Originally from Zimbabwe, she also serves on the boards of several arts organizations.<\/div>\n
Finnish violist Lilli Maijala<\/strong>, head of the viola faculty at her alma mater the Sibelius Academy, has added the Zurich University of the Arts<\/a><\/strong> to her CV, where she will start in fall as professor of viola. Maijala is a specialist in contemporary repertoire and performs in an experimental-quartet lab with violinists Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Pekka Kuusisto, and cellist Pieter Wispelwey. She is also a member of the Valo Quartet.<\/div>\n
Flutist\/composer Valerie Coleman<\/strong> will join the faculty of the Manhattan School of Music<\/a><\/strong> (MSM) next fall; she will teach flute, composition, and chamber music.<\/div>\n
Violist Lech Antonio Uszynsk<\/strong> arrives on the faculty of The Royal Conservatoire The Hague<\/a><\/strong> next September. A member of the Stradivari Quartet since 2010 and an international soloist, he has a recordings catalog that includes Steve Reich\u2019s quartets Different Trains<\/i> and Triple Quartet<\/i> for Warner Classics, chamber music versions of Mahler Symphonies Nos. 1 and 4, and a solo album, Progetto Gibson<\/i>, for Sony Classical.<\/div>\n
The University of Arkansas\u2019 Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences<\/a><\/strong> has appointed bassoonist Lia Uribe<\/strong> as chair of its department of music, which offers a BM degree in vocal and instrumental performance as well as conducting, composing, music education, music history, and jazz.<\/div>\n
Op\u00e9ra de Lausanne<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Claude Cortese<\/strong>, current artistic director at Op\u00e9ra national du Rhin in Strasbourg, to be its next director as of July 1, 2024. He succeeds Eric Vigi\u00e9, who will have been in the job 20 years. A musician by training, Cortese, 51, first came to Op\u00e9ra de Lausanne at age 19, as a stage manager. Later he was production manager at the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve. Before his current, Strasbourg job, Cortese was artistic director of the Op\u00e9ra national de Lorraine in Nancy, and before that Angers Nantes Op\u00e9ra.<\/div>\n
Paolo Petrocelli<\/strong> resigned after three years as founding director general of the Stauffer Academy in Cremona to become the new head of the Dubai Opera House<\/a><\/strong>, a multi-genre presenter. He started the job in the United Arab Emirates in February. Petrocelli is former associate director at MG Artists and Advisor for International Development and Special Projects at Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman. He has also served as assistant to the superintendent for international development and external relations of Fondazione Teatro dell\u2019Opera di Roma and Director of International Projects at Oregon Music Festival.<\/div>\n
The Robert McDuffie Center for Strings<\/a><\/strong> in Mercer University\u2019s Townsend School of Music in Macon, GA, is welcoming back two cellists as new members of its faculty. Next autumn, Sihao He<\/strong>, who received an undergraduate degree from the Center in 2015 before continuing his studies at Northwestern\u2019s Bienen School of Music, will join the faculty as distinguished artist and lead cello teacher. Joining Sihao on the faculty will be his mentor, Hans J\u00f8rgen Jensen<\/strong>. \u201cI am coming back because I really love the Center, but also because I want to support Sihao He,\u201d Jensen said. \u201cSihao and I have worked together for many years\u2026. [He] is an incredible cellist and teacher.\u201d<\/div>\n
Alexander Brose<\/strong> has been selected to succeed Peter Simon as president & CEO of Canada\u2019s Royal Conservatory of Music<\/a><\/strong> (RCM) in August of 2024. As of next fall, he\u2019ll serve as president designate until with Simon retires at the end of the school year. Brose was the inaugural executive director and CEO of the Tianjin Juilliard School until the end of the last school year. His skills as a Mandarin speaker, student of Asian studies, and onetime professional vocalist helped him establish a footprint for Juilliard in China. Prior to his five-year term there he was VP for development at the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and, before that, a senior manager at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.<\/div>\n
Oregon Ballet Theater<\/a><\/strong>, approaching its 35th anniversary and including a school with an enrollment of over 300, has named choreographer Danielle (Dani) Rowe<\/strong> as its next artistic director, effective presently. She succeeds Peter Franc, who has been serving as interim since 2021. The company also has a new executive director in Shane Jewell<\/strong>, who came on board in January after serving as general manager of the New York City-based Gibney Company, a contemporary ensemble.<\/div>\n
Flutist Tara Helen O\u2019Connor<\/strong>, a highly credentialled performer and pedagogue, has been appointed visiting associate professor, adjunct, at the Yale School of Music<\/a><\/strong>, effective next fall. A contemporary music champion, she has premiered hundreds of works, is a member of the Windscape woodwind quintet and the Bach Aria Group, and has played as a substitute in the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.<\/div>\n
Violist Paul Laraia<\/strong>, a member of the Catalyst Quartet and artist-in-residence of Chamber Music Northwest, has joined the faculty as an associate professor at the Boston Conservatory of Music at Berklee<\/a><\/strong>. Laraia is a first-prize winner of the 2019 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the 2011 Sphinx Competition and has performed as a soloist with a number of U.S. orchestras.<\/div>\n
South Korean pianist HieYon Choi<\/strong> has joined the Peabody Conservatory<\/a><\/strong> faculty, arriving from her tenured position as chair of the piano department at Seoul National University. Known for her two complete cycles of Beethoven sonatas, performed internationally, plus a cycle of his complete chamber works with piano, she has recorded works by Liszt, Debussy, Beethoven, and Chopin, and given lectures and master classes Stateside and in Europe.<\/div>\n
German soprano Juliane Banse<\/strong> is to succeed Susan Bullock as head professor of the \u201cAlfredo Kraus\u201d Fundaci\u00f3n Ram\u00f3n Areces Voice Chair at Madrid\u2019s Reina Sofia School of Music<\/a><\/strong> as of the 2023-2024 academic year. With an unusually wide range of repertoire, from the Marschallin to Donna Elvira, Banse comes to Madrid after several years teaching at the Robert Schumann Hochschule D\u00fcsseldorf and the University Mozarteum Salzburg.<\/div>\n
Last fall, tubist Aaron Tindall<\/strong> joined the brass faculty of the Colburn School. He is particularly active in the state of Florida, serving as principal tubist of the Naples Philharmonic, Sarasota Orchestra, and associate professor of tuba and euphonium at the Frost School of Music, University of Miami.<\/div>\n
Theater and opera director Mary Birnbaum<\/strong> is to be the new general and artistic director of Opera Saratoga<\/a><\/strong>, whose origins date back some 60 years (it was previously known as Lake George Opera). She succeeds Larry Edelson, who announced in May that he would be exiting at the close of last summer\u2019s season. Birnbaum teaches acting for singers at the Juilliard School, serving as dramatic advisor to the MM and diploma programs at the Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts. She will continue her work there as she adds Opera Saratoga to her portfolio.<\/div>\n
Aviel Cahn<\/strong>, general director of the Grand Th\u00e9\u00e2tre de Gen\u00e8ve, has been named intendant of Deutsche Oper Berlin<\/a><\/strong> as of August, 2026. He succeeds Dietmar Schwarz, whose contract expires one year prior. Cahn, VP of Opera Europa for three years, up until last June, has been with Geneva since 2019. Prior to that he was for ten years intendant of Belgium Opera Ballet Vlaanderen; he\u2019s also served as managing director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, director of opera for Stadttheater Bern, and held positions with the Finnish National Opera and the China National Symphony Orchestra. He holds a doctor of law from Zurich University.<\/div>\n
Clare Fox Hillard<\/strong>, music director and conductor of the Albany (GA) Symphony Orchestra, is the new president of the International Conductors Guild<\/a><\/strong>. Elected for a two-year term during the ICG\u2019s recent three-day conference in Valencia, Spain, he succeeds Julius P. Williams. Hillard, a native of Grand Rapids, MI, made his podium debut at 18 and went on to earn masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Iowa. He received additional training from notable conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Pierre Boulez, Maurice Abravanel, and Jorge Mester.<\/div>\n
Olivier Py<\/strong> is to be the new artistic director of Paris\u2019s Th\u00e9\u00e2tre du Ch\u00e2telet<\/a><\/strong>. Py, former director of the Avignon Festival, is something of a cultural hero, and news of his appointment had been deemed “a sure promise of audacity, joy, surprises and impertinence,” by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. In addition to heading the Festival d\u2019Avignon from 2014 to 2022, Py is a playwright, director of opera and plays, author, actor, and singer. Quite understandably, Ch\u00e2telet Board Chair Xavier Couture called him a \u201cmajor figure in the performing arts.\u201d<\/div>\n
The Washington Chorus<\/a><\/strong> has announced that Anthony Salvi-Exner<\/strong> its new executive director. He previously sang with The Washington Chorus and was a board member before his appointment as interim executive director in August 2022. He brings 30 years of executive leadership experience working in a variety of organizations, having held several CEO positions, including most recently at VMD Corp, a professional services company.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG announced that Heran Sereke-Brhan<\/strong>, Ph.D. has joined the firm as vice president, practice leader to support the Strategic Planning & Community Engagement service area. Based in ACG\u2019s Washington, DC, location, Sereke-Brhan brings to the firm vast expertise in change management, community development, strategic visioning, and grant-making programs within the arts and culture and government sectors.<\/div>\n
Pratt Fine Arts Center<\/a><\/strong> has selected Jessica Borusky<\/strong> as executive director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). They began their tenure on January 13, 2023. Borusky arrives to the visual arts organization as a cultural leader whose practice is grounded in community building and equitable, accessible art education.<\/div>\n
An experienced leader in arts advocacy, operations, and education, Shannon Kelly<\/strong> joins the Virginia Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> as vice president of development and operations following her tenure as senior director of government affairs at the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. In this role, Kelly delivered an increase in local, state, and federal public funding to support the Foundation\u2019s programs, including the Institute for Early Learning through the Arts and Wolf Trap Opera.<\/div>\n
January 2023<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Boston Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has named Ed Gazouleas<\/strong> as interim director of the Tanglewood Music Center. Gazouleas is the current provost of the Curtis Institute and was for 24 years a member of the BSO viola section. He was active in key roles such as chairing the orchestra\u2019s artistic advisory committee, and serving on the search committee that chose Andris Nelsons as music director. He\u2019s been on the TMC faculty for 18 seasons, as well as the faculties of a number of other conservatories, including Jacobs School of Music at IU, New England Conservatory, and, of course, the Curtis Institute, of which he is an alumnus.<\/div>\n
The Pittsburgh Ballet Theater<\/a><\/strong> (PBT) has hired Adam McKinney<\/strong>, 46, as its new artistic director as of March 15. McKinney, currently an associate professor of dance at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, attended the Milwaukee Ballet School and Butler University before dancing with the Milwaukee Ballet for five years. He appeared as well in New York with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet. He has also taught at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School.<\/div>\n
Soprano Melody Moore<\/strong> is to be the new artistic administrator of the San Diego Opera<\/a><\/strong>, reporting to General Director David Bennett and succeeding not one but two individuals: Dominic Domingo, now a senior agent at Askonas Holt, and Jordanna Rose, current director of artistic operations for Opera Colorado. Moore will continue her singing career alongside her new post. At San Diego Opera, she will be working with Joan Foster, director of production and artistic administration.<\/div>\n
Peter Kjome<\/strong>, who exited his post as president and CEO of the Baltimore Symphony a year ago, has been hired by the Phoenix Symphony<\/a><\/strong> for the same position, effective February 1. He succeeds Suzanne Wilson, in the job two years. Formerly in marketing and strategic planning at 3M, Kjome holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and is an alumnus of the Cleveland Institute of Music.<\/div>\n
Sam Jackson<\/strong> will leave his current position as executive VP of Global Classics & Jazz at Universal Music Group to become the new controller of BBC Radio 3<\/a><\/strong>, a position from which he will oversee the network as well as the BBC Proms, which his new employer defines as \u201cthe world\u2019s biggest classical music festival.\u201d Prior to UMG, Jackson was for 15 years with Global, said to be Europe’s largest radio company.<\/div>\n
Opera Omaha<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Allison Swenson<\/strong>, development director at Santa Fe Opera, as its next general director. She succeeds Roger Weitz, who announced his intention to move on last May. Swenson, 37, has been with Santa Fe since 2013; at one time she was assistant to former General Director Charles MacKay, who gives her a tremendous vote of confidence in a recent article in the Omaha World Herald<\/i>. Swenson was among 40 individuals who applied for the job. She starts in mid-February.<\/div>\n
Juan Jos\u00e9 Escalante<\/strong>, executive director of the National Dance Institute (NDI), a noted arts-education program, is the new executive director of the Miami City Ballet<\/a><\/strong> as of February 6. He succeeds Tania Castroverde Moskalenko, who left in 2022 after four years in the job. He will work with Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, overseeing all matters administrative with a focus on expanding the company, one of the country\u2019s most prestigious, as well as its school. Also mentioned in his remit are \u201ca digital transformation of the organization, both internally and on our stages,\u201d as well increased community-engagement activity and touring.<\/div>\n
KMFA Classical<\/a><\/strong>, an independent public classical radio station in Austin, TX, has appointed George Preston<\/strong> as its new CEO. Preston arrives after serving for the last three years as VP of radio and GM of WFMT, Chicago, a high-profile classical outlet for which he initially hosted and produced the internationally syndicated Lyric Opera of Chicago broadcasts. Also on his CV is host and music director at WNYC, New York City\u2019s primary NPR station, a tenure at Boson\u2019s WBUR, and an impressive opera career singing such roles as Papageno in The Magic Flute<\/i> and leads in The Marriage of Figaro<\/i>, Kiss Me Kate<\/i>, and The Music Man<\/i>.<\/div>\n
The Royal Albert Hall<\/a><\/strong> has appointed James Ainscough<\/strong> as its new chief executive officer, effective in the late spring of 2023. He succeeds Craig Hassall, who stepped down on December 16, 2022 to become president and chief executive of Playhouse Square in Cleveland, OH. Dan Freeman, the Hall\u2019s chief operating officer, will continue to act as Interim CEO until Ainscough arrives. The appointment reunites Ainscough with an institution he served from January 2008 to December 2017, first as director of finance and administration and then as chief operating officer. Since leaving RAH, he served as CEO of Help Musicians, a charity for both working and retired professional musicians of all genres.<\/div>\n
Jean Davidson<\/strong>, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Master Chorale since 2015, is to succeed Gary Ginstling as executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, effective April 1. At the 58-year-old Master Chorale, she grew the budget by 50 percent from 2015-2019; her fund-raising prowess came into view most recently when she secured the Chorale\u2019s largest gift ever: $2.55 million in unrestricted funds from the Perenchio Foundation as part of a successful pandemic recovery effort.<\/div>\n
Chris Lorway<\/strong>, executive and artistic director of Stanford Live, California University\u2019s presenting series (200 performances\/four venues), is to be the next president and CEO of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity<\/strong><\/a>, effective in April. He succeeds Janice Price, who announced in July 2019 that she would not be renewing her contract when it expires in March of 2023. Lorway, 49, is a native of Cape Breton, off Nova Scotia, and is a Canadian citizen. Prior to Stanford Live, he was for two years director of programming and marketing at The Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall\u2014home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.<\/div>\n
The New York City Ballet<\/a><\/strong> has hired Alexei Ratmansky<\/strong> as artist in residence\u2014a new position for this company\u2014beginning in August, just two months after he leaves ABT. With an initial contract of five years, he is committed to create at least one new work a year, with the first planned to make its debut during the winter portion of NYCB’s 2023-24, 75th-anniversary season.<\/div>\n
Atlanta Ballet<\/a><\/strong> has selected Juliana Han Witt<\/strong> as chief advancement officer, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on June 26, 2022. Prior to joining Atlanta Ballet, Witt held senior roles in various renowned cultural institutions including The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera, and National Dance Institute.<\/div>\n
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra<\/strong><\/a> (CSO) has selected Michael Reichman<\/strong> as vice president of artistic operations and general manager, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on January 9, 2023. Prior to joining the CSO, Reichman served as executive director for the York Symphony Orchestra (YSO) in York, PA.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Hywel W. Sims<\/strong> has joined the firm as senior vice president to expand the Planning and Capacity Building area of the firm. Based in ACG\u2019s New Orleans location, Sims brings 30 years of expertise in the U.S., U.K., and Australia in leading and building support for organizations, including during times of financial challenges, contractions, and growth, as well as in responding community needs in the arts and social service sectors.<\/div>\n
December 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Arts Access, an editorial partnership between KERA<\/a><\/strong> and The Dallas Morning News<\/i><\/a><\/strong>, has hired multimedia journalist Samantha Guzman<\/strong> as its editor.. Launched in October, the new community journalism effort has embraced the mission of providing \u201carts, music and culture coverage in North Texas through the lens of equity and access.\u201d Guzman, daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, grew up in Grand Prairie, TX, and received degrees in photojournalism and journalism from the University of North Texas. She has worked previously at KERA, the Dallas affiliate of NPR and PBS, as associate producer for a midday talk show, and is currently executive editor of a community journal specializing in visual storytelling at Austin PBS.<\/div>\n
Brooklyn\u2019s much-heralded new music venue National Sawdust<\/a><\/strong> has announced a new managing director in Ana De Archuleta<\/strong>, who has for the last year been director of artistic operations. In turn, Kim Chan, deputy director and head of external affairs, is now senior director, and senior producer Alexander Barnes steps up to director of artistic operations and artistic administrator.<\/div>\n
The Charlotte Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, founded in 1932, now with 62 full-time professional musicians, has announced its new VP of artistic operations and general manager, reporting to President and CEO David Fisk. He is Michael Reichman<\/strong>, who has been serving as executive director of the York (PA) Symphony for seven years. Reichman holds an MM of music in conducting from the New England Conservatory and is a professional musician, having this past year played second flute for the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s transatlantic partnership with the Bayerische Philharmonie. He simultaneously served as Denver\u2019s general manager.<\/div>\n
City of London Sinfonia<\/a><\/strong> (CLS), now its 51st season, has a new CEO arriving in April 2023. She is Rowan Rutter<\/strong>, known primarily for her work as a theater producer and administrator. She arrives after serving as executive director and joint chief executive at HighTide, which specializes in mounting new work. She succeeds Elaine Baines, the orchestra\u2019s COO who has been serving as interim.<\/div>\n
Anastasia Tsioulcas<\/strong>, a staff cultural correspondent for NPR, joined The New York Times<\/i><\/a><\/strong>\u2019s freelance classical music reviewing staff November 2022. She remains fulltime at NPR as well. Previously, Tsioulcas, originally from Boston, was editor of Sony Music Entertainment\u2019s online magazine Ariama<\/i> and a freelance journalist for a number of music outlets, including Billboard<\/i> and Gramophone<\/i>. She was on staff at BMG Music for four years, working in classical music, jazz, and world music. Tsioulcas holds a BA in Comparative Religion from Barnard College.<\/div>\n
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (VSO) has a new president and CEO in Andrea F. Warren<\/strong>, in the job since early December. She succeeds Karen M. Philion, who announced in April that she would be leaving after over a decade in the job. Warren, the first black woman to lead a professional American orchestra, arrives with significant experience in education administration. Her most recent position was executive director of the Governor\u2019s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, which offers after-school programs in the performing and visual arts. She also served as principal of Norfolk’s Plaza Middle School and assistant principal of Bayside High\/Middle School.<\/div>\n
Opera and music theater director Jo Davies<\/strong> is to be the new artistic director of Opera Australia<\/a><\/strong>, effective in November of 2023 and succeeding Lyndon Terracini, who was in the job 13 years before opting out of a contract renewal. He left prematurely in October. Davies, whose experience ranges from operas at Covent Garden to musicals at the Barbican, will relocate to Sydney in fall of 2023. The remit of Allan\u2019s new hire is to focus on native talent and \u201creflect the Australian community and spirit.\u201d<\/div>\n
Violinist Curtis Stewart<\/strong>, also a composer and genre-bending improvisor, is to succeed composer Derek Bermel as artistic director of the American Composers Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. A graduate of the Eastman School with a degree in mathematics, Stewart has a wide-ranging career, and is well-regarded among the new music intelligentsia. Performance activity ranges from glittery onstage miked appearances with orchestra to teaching chamber music at the Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program to performing on the New York Philharmonic \u201cBandwagon\u201d series.<\/div>\n
Glenn Briffa<\/strong> has been installed as CFO of the Los Angeles Philharmoni<\/a><\/strong>c, having served as interim since July, when he succeeded Karen Sturges. Briffa will oversee the financial, information technology, and office administration functions of the largest-budget orchestra in the United States, currently reported at $148 million. He arrives to the job after two years as a finance consultant to small and medium sizes businesses. Prior to that he was CFO of a number of New York City-based firms, including We\u2019re Magnetic LLC, MediaLink, TBA Global, Bono\u2019s (RED), and, from 2003-10, Viacom Music Group. Briffa lives in New Jersey and holds a BS in finance and economics from NYU and an MBA in finance from Pace University.<\/div>\n
The League of American Orchestras<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Andrew Clark<\/strong>, recent director of finance for Philadelphia\u2019s Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence, as VP, finance and administration. He succeeds Marc Martin, now with the Dance Theater of Harlem. Clark will oversee the League\u2019s finances, human resources, and information technology.<\/div>\n
Lee Bynum<\/strong>, VP of impact at Minnesota Opera for two years, is to be the chief of education for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> (LCPA) as of February 1. The description of his role by LCPA is nonspecific, other than to say he \u201cwill build upon the organization\u2019s storied history and re-imagine the role of education at Lincoln Center.” In Minnesota, Bynum was in charge of community learning, education, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Prior to that, he was at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation as associate director of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program, administering DEI grants to colleges and universities. Bynum holds graduate and undergraduate degrees in history and education from Columbia University and was his alma mater\u2019s assistant director of the Center for the Study of Ethnicity and Race. He also spent a year as a visiting scholar at Caritas Francis Hsu College in Hong Kong.<\/div>\n
Violinist and new-music champion Jennifer Koh<\/strong> is the new artistic director of the Kennedy Center\u2019s Fortas Chamber Music Concerts<\/a><\/strong>. The appointment is effective immediately into spring of 2026, with her first fully programmed season in 2024-25. In welcoming her, KenCen President Deborah Rutter expressed confidence that Koh would build on Kalichstein\u2019s legacy, while at the same time \u201cpush us forward in her artistic vision.\u201d<\/div>\n
Erik Finley<\/strong>, vice president and general manager of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra since 2017, is to move to the position of vice president of artistic planning for the Minnesota Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, a post in which he\u2019ll be leading the artistic and digital teams, working with Music Director Designate Thomas S\u00f8nderg\u00e5rd. He starts January 30, 2023, reporting to President and CEO Michelle Miller Burns.<\/div>\n
November 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Fort Worth Opera<\/a><\/strong> announced that its new general director would be soprano Angela Turner Wilson<\/strong>, who will hold the additional title of artistic director. With stage credits including the New York City, D.C., and Portland opera companies, along with Fort Worth, Wilson, 51, is associate professor of professional practice in voice at Texas Christian University and chair of the vocal arts division. Wilson holds an MM in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory. She starts December 12.<\/div>\n
Sheri Notaro<\/strong> has joined the Minnesota Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> as its first vice president of people and culture. Her charge\u2014to provide \u201cstrategic direction and tactical support\u201d for human resources and lead anti-racism initiatives. Although new to the orchestra world, Notaro is a seasoned pro when it comes to diversity work. She served the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan as senior leader and previously held positions in human resources and diversity and inclusion programs.<\/div>\n
Sarah Caggiano<\/strong>, recent executive director of continuing and expanded education at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), has joined the New England Conservatory<\/a><\/strong> with a mandate to expand its Preparatory School (NEC Prep) offerings as well as its adult education, summer, and other non-degree-granting programs. The school cites part of her job as creating partnerships and operations on and off campus and expanding enrollment. She takes the title of executive director of expanded education.<\/div>\n
As of this month, Graham Parker<\/strong> moves from being interim executive director of the Louisville Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> to the position of chief executive. The former president of Decca Records U.S. at Universal Music Group, in which capacity he connected with Teddy Abrams, the LO\u2019s music director of nine years, Parker first joined the Kentucky outfit one year ago as interim. Parker has wasted no time in furthering Abrams\u2019s goal of making the orchestra central to life in Louisville and beyond, first by implementing the Creators Corps program that brings composers to reside in town and create new work for their environs.<\/div>\n
Awadagin Pratt<\/strong> joins the San Francisco Conservatory of Music<\/a><\/strong> as professor of piano in July and will accept students into his studio as of the fall. Currently professor of piano and artist-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music, Pratt is an acclaimed performer and onetime artistic director of the Cincinnati World Piano Competition, a post he now holds with the annual Art of the Piano festival.<\/div>\n
The New England Conservatory<\/a><\/strong> (NEC) announced that alumnus Minsoo Sohn<\/strong> would be joining the piano faculty as of next fall. A highly accomplished performer, he recently proved his prowess as a teacher when South Korean pianist Yunchan Lim took first prize at the 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, making him the youngest winner in the competition\u2019s history. Minsoo Sohn, himself the top winner of 2006 Honens International Piano Competition, has been on the faculty at the Korean National University of Arts since 2015, prior to which he taught at Michigan State University.<\/div>\n
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust<\/a><\/strong>, the now nearly 40-year-old organization credited with creating the city\u2019s 14-block \u201ccultural district\u201d as a means of socio-economic revitalization, has announced a new president and CEO, the first person of color to hold the post. She is Kendra Whitlock Ingram<\/strong>, who currently holds the same title at the Marcus Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, WI. In Pittsburgh, she succeeds the retiring. J. Kevin McMahon and starts in February.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Jeff Erbach has<\/strong> joined the firm as associate vice president to support executive search and leadership transitions, as well as the planning and capacity building areas of the firm. Based in ACG\u2019s Calgary location, Erbach brings to the company more than 30 years of expertise in cultural diplomacy, change management, and arts education focused on inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.<\/div>\n

Oregon Ballet Theatre<\/a><\/strong> has selected Shane Jewell<\/strong> as executive director following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He will begin his tenure on January 9, 2023. Jewell has over 20 years\u2019 experience in performing arts administration. Most recently, Jewell served as general manager for Gibney Company, a new contemporary dance establishment based in New York City. Jewell led the company through a dynamic period of transformation, developing infrastructure necessary for domestic and international touring, building strategic partnerships, and advancing entrepreneurial initiatives.<\/p>\n

October 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Johnstown( PA) Symphon<\/a><\/strong>y has a new executive director in Erin Codey<\/strong>, in the job on an interim basis since July. Codey, who has taught visual and performing arts for the last ten years, holds an undergraduate degree in media production from Quinnipiac University and a master\u2019s degree in art education. She will be working with Music Director James Blachly and succeeds Jessica Satava, now executive director of the Greenville (SC) Symphony.<\/div>\n
The San Diego Master Chorale<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Jan Rogers<\/strong> as the first full-time executive director in its 61-year history. The 100-member group, of high-level volunteers and paid professionals, performs under Music Director John K. Russell. The new hire arrives after serving as a consultant for choruses since leaving the top executive post at the Phoenix (AZ) Chorale in 2021.<\/div>\n
Jos\u00e9 Martinez<\/strong>, former director of the National Dance Company of Spain and \u00c9toile dancer of the Ballet de l’Op\u00e9ra de Paris, is to be the next director of the Paris Opera Ballet<\/a><\/strong>. He starts in December, succeeding Aur\u00e9lie Dupont who left in July. Martinez joined the Ballet de the Paris Opera in 1988 before being named \u00c9toile in 1997; he left in 2011 to run the Spanish company; after eight years in that job he turned to free-lance teaching and choreography. Apart from two of his ballets set to premiere in Bordeaux and Stockholm in 2023, he will now turn his efforts exclusively to the Paris Opera Ballet.<\/div>\n
Baptiste Charroing<\/strong>, current director of production at the Th\u00e9\u00e2tre des Champs-Elys\u00e9es<\/a><\/strong>, has been appointed director general designate of the theater, set to succeed Michel Franck in 2025, now in his third term in the job. Carroing, a violist by training, has been with TCE since 2020, and served in various capacities beforehand, including artist management and recording.<\/div>\n
Cristiano Sandri, director of programming for the Verdi Festival and the Teatro Regio di Parma, is to become artistic director of the Teatro Regio di Torino<\/a><\/strong> next January. He succeeds Sebastian F. Schwarz, who arrived in 2019. Sandri has been an artist manager and worked in casting for Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.<\/div>\n
Opera Europa<\/a><\/strong> has selected Karen Stone<\/strong> to become the new director of the Brussels-based service organization as of Jan 1, 2023. She succeeds Nicholas Payne, in the position for 19 years. Stone, who recently retired after 13 years as Intendantin at Theater Magdeburg, has previously been general director at The Dallas Opera, Generalintendantin at Oper Graz, and opera director at Oper K\u00f6ln. She has also held various positions in theaters in Germany and the U.K. and enjoyed an international career as a stage director.<\/div>\n
La Musica International Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>, in Sarasota, FL, has selected Wu Han<\/strong> as its new artistic director. She succeeds Bruno Giuranna, who co-founded the festival 37 years ago. In announcing the appointment, the festival\u2019s board president, Bruce Lehman, noted: \u201cWe chose Wu Han because of the breadth of her reputation, her commitment to engaging younger musicians and audiences, and her sheer love of the chamber music canon.\u201d<\/div>\n
Ji Su Jung<\/strong> has joined the timpani and percussion faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music<\/a><\/strong>. She arrives at Curtis from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where she will continue on the faculty as a lecturer. She graduated from Peabody and holds an MM from the Yale School of Music, where she studied under Robert van Sice, her new Curtis colleague.<\/div>\n
New on the Eastman School of Music<\/a><\/strong> full-time faculty is saxophonist\/composer Christine Jensen<\/strong>, as assistant professor of jazz and contemporary media. In the midst of a thriving international career as a soloist and composer, she is the founding artistic director and conductor of the Canadian National Jazz Orchestra, as well as the past artistic director of Orchestre National Jazz de Montreal.<\/div>\n
The Penn State College of Arts and Architecture<\/a><\/strong> has hired double bassist Patricia Weitzel<\/strong> as assistant teaching professor. A member of the Columbus Symphony, she was previously lecturer of double bass at Columbus State and has served on the faculties of Augustana College, Central College, Grinnell College, St. Ambrose University, and Drake University.<\/div>\n
Both the opera and ballet of the Finish National Opera<\/strong><\/a> are getting new artistic directors. Javier Torres L\u00f3pez<\/strong> arrived at the National Ballet in that capacity on August 1, 2022, and Thomas de Mallet Burgess<\/strong> is slated to succeed Lilli Paasikivi (in the job since 2013) at the artistic helm of the National Opera in August of 2023. Both men report to General Director Gita Kadambi. Torres has been a noted free-lance choreographer and teacher for 30 years and danced with the company from 1991 to 2008. Burgess, general director at New Zealand Opera since 2018, enjoys an international reputation as an expert in performing arts training and education and places special importance on diversity and inclusion.<\/div>\n
The Association of British Orchestras<\/a><\/strong> (ABO) has tapped Judith Webster<\/strong> as its new chief executive, beginning Nov. 14. She succeeds Mark Pemberton, who stepped down on Sept. 30 after 15 years in post. The ABO serves the U.K.\u2019s professional orchestras, youth ensembles, and the wider classical music industry by offering advice, support, intelligence, and information to the industry.<\/div>\n
Violinist Colin Jacobsen<\/strong>, co-founder of the Knights and Brooklyn Rider, is to succeed Anne-Marie McDermott as artistic director of the Santa Fe Pro Musica<\/a><\/strong>. Santa Fe Pro Musica, which specializes in the Baroque, presents orchestral and chamber concerts. Jacobsen begins his new role with at the Bach Festival in December. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, Jacobsen has performed internationally and participated in residencies at New York\u2019s 92nd St. Y, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Hollywood Bowl.<\/div>\n
Swallow Hill Music<\/a><\/strong> has selected Aengus Finnan<\/strong> as president and CEO following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on October 1, 2022. With a distinguished international career of more than 20 years in music and performing arts, Aengus Finnan most recently served as executive director at Folk Alliance International (FAI). During his tenure, Finnan doubled the institution\u2019s annual budget, increased its global reach from 9 to 46 countries, and cultivated vital partnerships with several renowned organizations, including UNESCO, Recording Academy, International Rescue Committee, and Smithsonian.<\/div>\n
Intermusica<\/a><\/strong> welcomed Isabella Gage<\/strong> in the newly created position of senior artist manager & manager to The King\u2019s Singers. She joins Intermusica from IMG Artists, where she held the position of vice president in its Vocal Division, working with such artists as Alice Coote, John Chest, Clive Bayley and Sara Fulgoni.<\/div>\n
September 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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French conductor St\u00e9phane Den\u00e8ve<\/strong> will succeed Michael Tilson Thomas as artistic director of the New World Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as of the 2022-23 season. MTT, who cofounded NWS with Ted and Lin Arison 35 years ago, will stay connected to his ground-breaking project as its artistic director laureate. Den\u00e8ve, who has been guest conducting at NWS since 2006, is the current music director of the St. Louis Symphony and starts as principal guest conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic in 2023.<\/div>\n
The Boston Lyric Opera<\/a><\/strong> has named Bradley Vernatter<\/strong> as its general director and CEO, following his two years acting as GD and artistic director. The latter position has been spun off, at Vernatter\u2019s suggestion, to be a dedicated one reporting to Vernatter and working on artistic planning with Music Director David Angus. Vernatter, previously BLO\u2019s COO, is credited with not only keeping things on track during the pandemic, but with developing new initiatives such as the streaming platform, operabox.tv, whose productions included an animated film of Philip Glass\u2019s The Fall of the House of Usher<\/i>, an adaptation of Ana Sokolovic\u2019s Svadba<\/i>, and the miniseries desert in<\/i>.<\/div>\n
Following his year-long stint as interim, Matthew Spivey<\/strong> has been named CEO of the San Francisco Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, an organization he joined in 2015 as director of artistic planning under now laureate Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas. He was made official today after a year guiding Esa-Pekka Salonen\u2019s first full season as SFS music director. The orchestra\u2019s accomplishments during Spivey\u2019s interim tenure include the release of two digital projects led by Salonen: Stravinsky\u2019s The Soldier\u2019s Tale<\/i>, a collaboration with British director, designer, and video artist Netia Jones; and Ligeti: Paradigms<\/i>, another collaboration merging the composer\u2019s music with media artist Refik Anadol, Dolby Labs, and SFS \u201ccollaborative partner\u201d Carol Reiley.<\/div>\n
The Ulster Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Auveen Sands<\/strong> as its first female chief executive. She will assume the position, which has been held by Richard Wigley for more than six years, in October. Sands joined the orchestra as head of finance and operations in January 2014, after a career of more than 15 years in corporate banking. She played a key role in keeping the ensemble afloat after severe public funding cuts threatened its continuation and has worked closely with Wigley on strategic issues.<\/div>\n
Pianist William Ransom<\/strong> is to succeed Christopher Rex as artistic director of the Amelia Island (GA) Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>. Rex, who founded the event in 2001, died last March, having retired from the Atlanta Symphony in 2018 after 39 years as principal cello of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Amelia Island offers about a dozen events annually, in various venues. Running it will become one of Ransom\u2019s many hats, which also include being founder and artistic director of the Emory Chamber Music Society in Atlanta, artistic director of the Highlands-Cashiers (NC) Chamber Music Festival, and Professor of Piano at Emory University. He and Rex were close Atlanta colleagues.<\/div>\n
Boston University Tanglewood Institute<\/a><\/strong> (BUTI), the Lenox, MA, summer program for young musicians ages 14 to 20 founded in 1954 that links the BU College of Fine Arts with Tanglewood and the BSO, has a new executive director in Nicole Wendl<\/strong>. Also a noted violinist, Wendl has served as program manager of Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont, and co-founder and -director of the Lumino Festival in Falls Village, Connecticut.<\/div>\n
At the Oregon Symphony<\/a><\/strong>, Clement So<\/strong> has succeeded Charles Calmer as VP for programming. So arrives from the San Diego Symphony, where he was VP for artistic planning for five years. Before that he was artistic administrator of New York\u2019s 92nd Street Y for over 10 years. In Oregon he\u2019ll work with Music Director David Danzmayr, who succeeded Carlos Kalmar as music director last season. So will report to President and CEO Scott Showalter. Calmer has retired.<\/div>\n
Unitey Kull<\/strong> has joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> as VP of marketing and audience experience; she succeeds David Nischwitz, who left earlier in the year for a similar position with Drury Hotels, also in St. Louis. Kull comes to the SLSO from a similar position at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (CAM) where she is credited with nearly doubling visitor-ship over the last ten years. Before that she was executive director of the Manhattan New Music Project, a nonprofit performing and arts-education organization. She holds an MBA from George Washington University.<\/div>\n
The Boise Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, which prides itself on being Idaho\u2019s oldest performing arts organization, has a new executive director in New Zealand native Tim Young<\/strong>. He arrives from a stint as a consultant, having stepped down last January as executive director of the Reno (NV) Philharmonic, a job he held for 19 years. The Reno Phil, where he is credited with expanding programming and financial resources, says it is the largest performing arts organization in the state.<\/div>\n
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Michael S. Rosenberg<\/strong>, recent managing director of McCarter Theater Center in Princeton (NJ), longtime managing director of La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, CA, is to be the new president and CEO of New York\u2019s City Center<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Arlene Shuler, who announced her intention to retire last December, after nearly 20 years in the job.<\/p>\n

Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Flora Stamatiades<\/strong> has joined the firm as associate vice president to expand the Leadership Transitions practice area. Based in ACG\u2019s New York location, she brings more than 30 years of expertise in consensus building, strategic planning, organizational changes, and business negotiations.<\/div>\n
Intermusica<\/a><\/strong> today announced the appointment of two new members to its Vocal & Opera team. Nathan Morrison<\/strong> will join the Vocal & Opera department as associate director. With degrees in both music and law, Morrison trained as a singer before forging his career at Askonas Holt, where he rose through the company to senior manager. Nicholas Moloney<\/strong> joined as senior artist manager. An accomplished pianist, Moloney worked closely with singers and creative teams as artistic administrator of English Touring Opera, where he helped to build and develop the company\u2019s future strategy. Following this, he moved to the UK Government\u2019s Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), where he was integral in delivering COVID-19 recovery programs for the live events sector.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Dat Ngo<\/strong> has joined the firm as associate vice president to support the Executive Search and IDEAS practice areas. Based in ACG\u2019s Washington, DC, location, Ngo brings over 20 years of experience in arts education, program planning, strategic visioning, diversity training, executive coaching, and community engagement.<\/div>\n
Grand Performances<\/a><\/strong> has selected Rafael Gonz\u00e1lez<\/strong> as president and CEO, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on August 2, 2022. A well-versed leader in the nonprofit, government, and philanthropic sectors, Gonz\u00e1lez previously held a position as Director of Community Outreach and Engagement for the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission. While there, Gonz\u00e1lez implemented effective outreach strategies to ensure healthy and stable community development.<\/div>\n
August 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Baryshnikov Arts Center<\/a><\/strong> (BAC) has named Sonja Kostich<\/strong> as its new executive director, effective in mid-October 2022 after board approval. She succeeds Cora Cahan, the organization’s president and CEO from October 2019. As BAC\u2019s administrative head, Kostich will work alongside Baryshnikov to oversee all aspects of an organization that since it was founded in 2005 has become a gathering place for artists from all disciplines.<\/div>\n
The Los Angeles Ballet<\/a><\/strong>, now in its 17th season, has selected Melissa Barak<\/strong> as the company\u2019s new artistic director. An accomplished ballet dancer and choreographer, she succeeds Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, the founding co-artistic directors. Barak is returning to the company for which she was a leading dancer from 2006 to 2011. Barak has created new works for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Richmond Ballet, Dayton Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, and Barak Ballet, a Los Angeles based contemporary ballet company she founded in 2013.<\/div>\n
Washington National Opera<\/a><\/strong> has chosen Christopher Cano<\/strong> to be the next director of the Cafritz Young Artists (CYA) and American Opera Initiative (AOI). He starts in September, succeeding Robert Ainsley, in the job since 2016. In the latter capacity, Ainsley succeeds Francesca Zambello, also artistic director of the Washington National Opera, essentially replacing his former boss at WNO, since Zambello had long run both. Cano now reports to her as well as WNO General Director Timothy O\u2019Leary.<\/div>\n
Danni Gee<\/strong>, longtime dance curator for Central Park\u2019s free outdoor festival SummerStage, has been named director of programming for the Joyce Theater<\/a><\/strong>, New York\u2019s core dance venue and presenter of small\/visiting troupes. Gee is a former member of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and onetime member of Philadanco, with which she danced on the Joyce stage as a young artist.<\/div>\n
Craig Hassall<\/strong>, CEO of London\u2019s Royal Albert Hall since 2017, has announced his resignation, effective at the end of 2022. He is leaving to assume the role of president and chief executive of Playhouse Square<\/a><\/strong> in Cleveland, Ohio. In assuming his new position, Hassall replaces retiring CEO Gina Vernaci, a 39-year veteran of the organization. Playhouse Square, which celebrates its centennial this year, is the second largest theater district in the U.S. It includes seven resident companies, 11 venues, and the largest touring Broadway season ticket base in North America.<\/div>\n
The Reno (NV) Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has hired Ignacio Barr\u00f3n Viela<\/strong>, executive director of the Billings (MT) Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, to be its next president and CEO, effective October 26. A native of Spain, he succeeds Tim Young, who retired last November after 19 years in the job. Viela\u2019s four year in Billings yielded the orchestra\u2019s two largest single gifts in its 72-year history. He is also credited with doubling the annual budget to close to $2 million and strengthening the orchestra\u2019s connection to the community. He studied industrial engineering and business and is an accomplished cellist.<\/div>\n
The Abilene (TX) Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has a new executive director as of August 15 in Gerard Gibbs<\/strong>, a Baroque and Classical oboe player who has performed in a number of period and regular orchestras. During his time in the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra in Alberta, he co-founded the Fort MacLeod International Chamber Music Festival with violist Rivka Golani and led a full range of performing arts programs of the Empress Theater.<\/div>\n
Jazz trumpeter and pedagogue Ingrid Jensen<\/strong> has been named dean of the Manhattan School of Music\u2019s (MSM) Jazz Arts division<\/a><\/strong>, a position she moves into with immediate effect. Jensen has been serving as interim dean of the program since Associate Dean and Director of Jazz Arts Stefon Harris exited in July 2020. Jensen, who has her own band and is a frequent sideman on recordings, joined the faculty in 2018.<\/div>\n
Seth Abramson<\/strong>, a jazz guitarist\/band leader turned label executive turned presenter\/producer, is to be the first director of the Gilmore International Piano<\/strong> Festival\u2019s jazz awards<\/a>, established in February with an $8 million grant from Gilmore Board President and local brewery owner Larry J. Bell. The new award mirrors the Gilmore Artist Award (won by Igor Levit, in 2018), in that its nomination comes from a panel of anonymous industry insiders, whom Abramson is now charged with assembling and directing. Like the Gilmore Artist Award, the Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award brings its recipient $300,000\u2014$50,000 cash plus $250,000 over four years for furthering their artistry and career. The first award is scheduled to be made in 2026. Abramson starts September 1.<\/div>\n
Jen Luzzo<\/strong> has been hired by the Kennedy Center<\/a><\/strong> to oversee classical music public relations. Previously in a related position with the New York Philharmonic, she arrived at the KenCen in early August and has a portfolio that includes the Washington National Opera (WNO), the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), the Fortas Chamber Music series, all music education activities\u2014of which there are many\u2014and initiatives that explore the intersection of music and wellness.<\/div>\n
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The Peabody Institute<\/a><\/strong> of the Johns Hopkins University appointed Bob Halbruner<\/strong> as associate dean for external relations effective September 6, 2022. In this role, Halbruner will be a member of the senior leadership team reporting directly to Dean Fred Bronstein and will provide overall strategic leadership to advance the Development, Alumni Relations, and Marketing and Communications programs for the Peabody Institute.<\/p>\n

The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> (the Hobby Center) has selected Mark Folkes<\/strong> as president & CEO, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on August 22, 2022. An accomplished leader with executive experience in the nonprofit sector, Folkes most recently held positions as chief advancement officer and chief growth officer at the Greater Houston Community Foundation, one of Houston\u2019s most impactful philanthropic organizations. While there, Folkes provided leadership for the Advancement and Donor Relations team, advancing the Foundation in its mission to maximize charitable resources for local communities.<\/div>\n
Trinity Repertory Company<\/a><\/strong> (Trinity Rep) has selected Kate Liberman<\/strong> as executive director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She will begin her tenure on September 6, 2022. Liberman is joining Trinity Rep from Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in New York, where she has worked since 2015 and has been serving as the managing director. She brings with her a history of fiscal acumen, organizational excellence, and community engagement.<\/div>\n
Choral Arts<\/strong><\/a> has selected Dr. Jace Kaholokula Saplan<\/strong> as artistic director beginning June 10, 2022, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). A fierce advocate of the classical and choral arts, Dr. Saplan joins the Choral Arts with experience and leadership as an artist, educator, and community leader. Dr. Saplan has most recently served as co-director of choral activities and associate professor of music learning & teaching and choral conducting at Arizona State University.<\/div>\n
The City of Richardson has selected Ally Haynes-Hamblen<\/strong> as executive director for the Eisemann Center<\/a><\/strong>, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She will begin her tenure on September 19, 2022. Prior to joining the Eisemann Center, Haynes-Hamblen served as director for the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs, where she established the Office of Cultural Affairs\u2019 pioneering grant program for the arts in Las Vegas, expanded the city\u2019s repertoire of annual festivals, and initiated an impactful artist-in-residence program, fostering the growth of local creative communities.<\/div>\n
Birdfoot Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has named Rebecca Crenshaw<\/strong> its new executive director. She succeeds founding executive director Tracey Sherry, who retired this summer. Rebecca is currently Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra\u2019s Community and Engagement Manager, where she directed and managed the orchestra\u2019s Music for Life program. She is an alum of the Global Leaders Program, an executive graduate degree focused on social entrepreneurship and impact innovation, and previously worked within the New Orleans public schools, founding two string orchestra programs at Crocker Arts and Technology and then Homer Plessy Community School.<\/div>\n
July 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Nashville Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has a new COO in Tonya McBride Robles<\/strong>, who arrives in September having served a similar function with the Baltimore Symphony, where she was involved with the five-year musicians’ contract that brought the BSO back to life in 2020. Previously she served as executive director of the Annapolis Symphony and worked with a number of other classical organizations, having by now acquired 20 years in the business. In Nashville, she will report to longtime President and CEO Alan Valentine and be responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations across all aspects: artistic programming, education and community engagement programming, orchestra operations, marketing and communications.<\/div>\n
The 70,000-square-foot Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong>, which opened nine years ago in Beverly Hills as a community arts and education facility, has named Manuel \u201cManny\u201d Prieto<\/strong> as its next director of education. The recent executive director of the Los Angeles Music and Art School (LAMusArt), he starts his new job in September with responsibility for overseeing the Wallis\u2019s education and outreach programs, which fall under the rubric “GRoW@.” His appointment was announced by the Center\u2019s Executive Director and CEO Rachel Fine. Prieto succeeds Mark Slavkin, who created the department seven years ago and is now retiring.<\/div>\n
The Melbourne-based Victorian Opera<\/a><\/strong> has named Stuart Maunder<\/strong> AM (Member of the Order of Australia) as its next artistic director. He will succeed composer-conductor Richard Mills AM at the conclusion of 2023. Maunder began his career in stage management at the then Australian Opera, and went on to senior management roles at Opera Australia (1999-2008); as general director of New Zealand Opera (2014-2018); and most recently as artistic director of State Opera South Australia. During his tenure at State Opera, Maunder has championed Australian repertoire and the development of the next generation of Australian artists while also presenting a broad repertoire designed to reach the widest possible audience.<\/div>\n
James Thomas<\/strong>, creative director of the Manchester Camerata, is to be the next director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia<\/a><\/strong> (RNS) & Classical Program. RNS is the U.K.\u2019s only full-time chamber orchestra and is resident at Sage Gateshead, an international performing arts center serving primarily the north and northeast of England. Thomas, a native of Wales, is a professional bassoonist turned administrator; his five-year tenure with the Manchester Camerata has been marked by new artistic partnerships, a more well-developed programming profile under Music Director G\u00e1bor Tak\u00e1cs-Nagy, touring, recording, and advances in the organization\u2019s digital realm.<\/div>\n
Beth Morrison Projects<\/a><\/strong> has a new executive director in Brooklyn-based Sam Linden<\/strong>, previously with TDC, a consulting firm that specializes in arts and culture. He succeeds Jecca Barry, with BMP since 2013, who has left to pursue her own projects. Linden was previously associate director of marketing and communications at Yale Repertory Theater. He has a BA in music from Harvard College, and an MFA and MBA from Yale\u2019s School of Drama and Management, respectively.<\/div>\n
Ontario Arts Council<\/a><\/strong>, responsible for funding the likes of the Canadian Opera Company, the Toronto Symphony, Tafelmusik, plus the region\u2019s numerous lower profile outfits, has hired Michael Murray<\/strong> as its new CEO, starting August 29. Murray was for six years the executive director of the Toronto Musician\u2019s Association, Local 149 of the American Federation of Musicians (AFM); he most recently served as director of ACTRA (Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists Performers\u2019 Rights Society), Canada\u2019s largest performers\u2019 rights organization.<\/div>\n
The Houston Chamber Choir<\/a><\/strong> (HCC), founded in 1995 by Artistic Director Robert Simpson, has named its first executive director in Brian Miller<\/strong>, most recently the chorus manager for the Houston Symphony. The HCC, winner of a 2020 Grammy award for its Durufl\u00e9 recording, is a fully professional ensemble with about a five-concert season; the symphonic group is all-volunteer. At HCC Miller will oversee non-artistic operations, from marketing to finance and points between. A former director of Texas high school choral programs, Miller has sung professionally with the Houston Men\u2019s Choir and holds an MM in choral conducting and a BM in music education.<\/div>\n
David Tompkins<\/strong> is the Boston Lyric Opera<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s new COO, having arrived last May to fill a position previously occupied by Bradley Vernatter, now the BLO\u2019s acting artistic director. Vernatter took over when longtime General and Artistic Director Esther Nelson stepped down at the end of last season. Tompkins comes to the job from the Woodman Museum where he served for four years as executive director, overseeing concert and lecture series, fund raising, and all administrative functions. He\u2019s also held executive posts with the ballet companies of Boston, Portland (OR,) and Arizona and with the Sundance Film Festival. He holds a BS in technical theater from Kansas State University.<\/div>\n
The Greenville (SC) Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has named Jessica Satava<\/strong> as its next executive director; she arrives having held the same position for three years at the Johnstown (PA) Symphony Orchestra. She also worked for many years in operations at the Peabody Institute, from which she holds an MM in voice and opera, and served as orchestra manager at the Aspen Music Festival and School. In Greenville, she succeeds Julianne Fish, who left in December after four years in the job.<\/div>\n
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center, Inc<\/a><\/strong>. hired Geoffrey Cohen<\/strong> in May to serve as associate marketing VP, reporting to Crystal Brewe, chief marketing and audience experience officer of the newly merged organization. Cohen previously worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra for nearly ten years.<\/div>\n
Andrew Nethsingha<\/strong>, director of music at St. John\u2019s College, University of Cambridge, is to be the next organist and master of choristers at Westminster Abbey<\/a><\/strong>\u2014in effect the Abbey\u2019s director of music. He succeeds James O\u2019Donnell, who has been appointed as Professor at the Yale School of Music and Yale Institute of Sacred Music as of January 2023. O’Donnell will remain at Westminster until then. Nethsingha, a graduate and onetime organ scholar of St. John\u2019s College, was appointed its director of music in 2007; previously he was director of music at Gloucester Cathedral and before that held positions at cathedrals in Wells and Truro. He has also been artistic director of the Three Choirs Festival.<\/div>\n
Big Apple Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong>, the umbrella organization of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus (NYCGMC) and the Youth Pride Chorus, has installed new, permanent leadership in John D. Carrion<\/strong> as executive director, and John J.Atorino<\/strong> as artistic director. The former has been in the post on an interim basis since October, coming to the group from London, where he worked for New York University as assistant director of the Global Housing Administration. His affiliation with GMC dates to 2011 when he joined the London iteration, becoming the group’s chair for four years, until 2017. He has a BA in Metropolitan Studies and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from NYU. Atorino is an arranger and conductor who comes to NYCGMC from the Portland GMC, where he was artistic director. He also served for a time as assistant conductor of NYCGMC and worked with Samuel French\/Concord music publishers. He holds an MME from New York University, where he led the men\u2019s glee club and mixed a cappella choir.<\/div>\n
Kate Kammeyer<\/strong> is the new executive director of the Berkeley (CA) Symphony<\/a><\/strong> succeeding Jim Tibbs, who is retiring after three years in the job. Kammeyer is the former senior VP and general manager of the Rochester Philharmonic, as well as its interim artistic administrator. Prior to that, she was orchestra manager of the Philadelphia Orchestra, assistant dean of artistic planning at the Longy School of Music, and general manager and artistic administrator with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She holds a BM from the University of Iowa, an MM from the Hartt School, and an artist diploma from SUNY Purchase, all in oboe performance. The orchestra recently completed its 50th-anniversary season. Joseph Young is music director.<\/div>\n
The Detroit Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has named Jessica Slais<\/strong> to a newly created position\u2014creative director of popular and special programming. She starts August 1, with responsibility for planning and producing the Pops and Young People\u2019s Family Concerts as well as special events and community concerts at Orchestra Hall and in metro Detroit. She\u2019ll work under Senior Director of Artistic Planning Jessica Ruiz and along with Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik, Music Director Jader Bignamini, and Jazz Creative Director Chair Terence Blanchard.<\/div>\n
Patrick O\u2019Herron<\/strong> is the new VP of marketing and communications at the Toronto Symphony<\/a><\/strong>. He comes from the Buffalo Philharmonic, where he held the same post for four years. He is succeeding Katie Sejba, TSO VP of marketing, and Sally Szuster, TSO VP of communications, both of whom left in January. Sejba is now with the Nashville Symphony, Szuster with Victoria College at the University of Toronto. Prior to Buffalo O\u2019Herron worked in marketing and communications for Americans for the Arts, and before that with Brookfield real estate\u2019s arts and events division.<\/div>\n
The Straz Center<\/a><\/strong> Board of Trustees today has announced the appointment of Greg Holland<\/strong> as president and CEO of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts beginning September 1st. An arts executive, theater administrator, revenue builder and dealmaker with more than 25 years of experience, Holland is currently the president of Brown-Holland Entertainment which provides business development services for Nederlander Worldwide. Additionally, Holland is the chief operating officer for Lighthouse Immersive which aims to cultivate community and creativity through large-scale events and exhibitions of all art forms.<\/div>\n
June 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Enescu Festival & Competition<\/a><\/strong> has named Cristian Macelaru<\/strong> as its new artistic director. (The total value of the prizes is 120,000 euros, along with concert appearances.) \u201cOne of the first things we will add is a series of concerts for children through which we present and introduce to art and culture\u2026.It is something missing in today’s society, and I want this focus to be brought back through the Festival.\u201d He also wants to expand cultural diversity and \u201cchallenge the public\u201d with 20th and 21st-century works rare to Romanians.<\/div>\n
The Townsend School of Music at Mercer University<\/a><\/strong>, in Macon, GA, has named Gary Gerber<\/strong> as its new dean effective July 1. He succeeds the retiring C. David Keith, in the job since 2013. Gerber, who specializes in choral conducting, has been dean of the School of Fine Arts at Ouachita Baptist University (OBU) in Arkadelphia, AK, since 2015. He also served as chair of the division of music.<\/div>\n
Seattle\u2019s Cornish College of the Arts<\/a><\/strong> has named Kel Dylla<\/strong> as the first executive director of its new School for Creative Arts. Dylla is the previous executive director of the Kirkland Arts Center and the VP of education and community engagement at the Seattle Symphony. She was also the director of audience engagement at the Pacific Symphony in Orange County and is a Juilliard-trained violist.<\/div>\n
Pace University<\/a><\/strong> has named Jesse Carlo<\/strong> as its program head for musical theater. His CV includes helping develop the undergraduate curriculum at Columbia College Chicago for performing arts studies in acting, musical theater, and theater. Before that he was assistant professor of arts and Humanities at Miami Dade College for six years.<\/div>\n
As of November, 2022, Gary Ginstling<\/strong> current CEO of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), is to become the New York Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s executive director, transitioning to the post of president and CEO on July 1, 2023, as Borda exits\u2014sort of: At the Board\u2019s request, she will take the position of executive advisor to the president and board of directors, starting July 1, 2023. Ginstling, responsible for launching Gianandrea Noseda\u2019s hugely successful tenure as music director of the NSO and keeping him there through 2027, is a smart, experienced orchestra administrator and trained musician who is highly regarded and well liked by his colleagues in the field.<\/div>\n
The Seattle Opera<\/a><\/strong> has selected Dennis Robinson, Jr.<\/strong>, as its next director of programs and partnerships. He succeeds Alejandra Valarino Boyer, in the position since late 2018. Robinson has extensive experience as a theater administrator, most recently as manager of artistic administration at Palm Beach Opera. His previous postings included director of education and accessibility at City Theater Company in Pittsburgh and manager of community programs and accessibility at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Among his successful ventures in Pittsburgh were a series of collaborations with organizations such as the Children\u2019s Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.<\/div>\n
Seb Lovell-Huckle<\/strong>, executive director of the Birmingham (UK) Contemporary Music Group, is to take the same post with the English Symphony Orchestra<\/a> as of August 8. He succeeds Peter Sheeran; ESO Board Chair Jonathan Godfrey has been serving in the interim. The ESO traces its origins to 1976, when William Boughton brought together a group of former members of the Midlands Radio Orchestra to form the Vivaldi Chamber Orchestra. That subsequently became the English String Orchestra, which specialized in English music, made over fifty recordings, and toured regularly in Europe. \u201cESO\u201d has since broadened its repertoire, thus keeping the acronym but changing its format.<\/div>\n
The Great Lakes (MI) Center for the Arts<\/a><\/strong>, a five-year-old multi-genre presenter in northern Michigan, has appointed Marie Klopf<\/strong> as its chief executive, as of July 9. She succeeds Jill O\u2019Neill, in the job since the Center\u2019s founding in 2014 and opening in 2018. Michael M. Kaiser is the artistic director of the Center and chair of the Washington, D.C.-based DeVos Institute, which assisted in the search for O\u2019Neill\u2019s successor.<\/div>\n
The Toronto Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (TSO) has announced the appointment of Patrick O\u2019Herron<\/strong> as its new vice president of marketing & communications after a search led by Arts Consulting Group. O\u2019Herron comes to the TSO from the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) where he served as vice president, marketing & communications for four years. Prior to the BPO, Patrick held leadership roles in marketing and communications for the national arts service organization Americans for the Arts, and for the largest privately funded arts program in the world, Arts Brookfield, the arts and events initiative of global real estate corporation Brookfield Properties.<\/div>\n
Washington Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> has hired Lauren Beyea<\/strong> as its director of marketing, communications & creative media. Beyea officially joined Washington Performing Arts as part of the seven-member senior management team on June 27, 2022, after 13 seasons at Ford\u2019s Theatre. At Washington Performing Arts, Beyea will steward a team of internal staff and external consultants, focusing on audience development and engagement, earned revenue growth, and institutional promotion and storytelling across all platforms.<\/div>\n
May 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has named Gaetan Le Divelec<\/strong> to be VP of artistic planning. Perhaps as much as the concertmaster, it\u2019s a job central to any orchestra\u2019s artistic standing and its ability to negotiate guest artist contracts advantageously. Le Divelec was Nathalie Stutzmann\u2019s (the Orchestra\u2019s new music director) artist manager at the powerful, London-based Askonas Holt.<\/div>\n
The Ojai Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s music director for the 2023 edition will be composer, singer, fiddle and banjo player Rhiannon Giddens<\/strong>. Giddens, not coincidentally the artistic director of Silkroad, will bring with her a hand-picked roster (see below), as well as witness the west coast premiere of her first opera, Omar<\/i>, which receives its world premiere this weekend at the Spoleto Festival USA.<\/div>\n
Robert Ainsley<\/strong>, director of the Cafritz Young Artists Program and the American Opera Initiative at the Washington National Opera (WNO), is to be the next artistic and general director of the Glimmerglass Festival<\/a><\/strong>. Ainsley, credited with commissioning and workshopping numerous opera samplings for WNO\u2019s American Opera Initiative, was previously associate music director at Portland Opera, head of music staff and chorus master at Minnesota Opera and Opera Theater of Saint Louis, and a guest chorus master at English National Opera, among other credits.<\/div>\n
Celebrity Series of Boston<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Nicole Taney<\/strong> as its new artistic director. She takes over later in the summer. Taney, director of artistic planning and operations for the Spoleto Festival USA, has been with Spoleto for eight years; previously she was director of producing and touring for Bill T Jones\/Arnie Zane Dance Company; company manager for New York City Ballet; general manager of Trisha Brown Dance Company; and worked in corporate sponsorship for Carnegie Hall.<\/div>\n
The Berkeley Symphony<\/a><\/strong> has hired Kate Kammeyer<\/strong>, recent senior VP and general manager of the Rochester Philharmonic, to succeed Jim Tibbs as executive director. Tibbs is retiring after three years in the job. Prior to her year at Rochester, she was for ten months assistant dean of artistic planning for the Longy School in Boston; she has also worked with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, the Aspen Music Festival, and Interlochen.<\/div>\n
Isabel Pfeiffer-Poensgen, Minister for Culture for North Rhine-Westphalia, has announced that beginning November 1, 2023, Ivo van Hove<\/strong> will become artistic director of the Ruhrtriennale<\/a><\/strong> for a three-year term. Van Hove will succeed the current artistic director Barbara Frey, who has programmed the festival\u2019s next two seasons. Hove has been artistic director of the Internationaal Theater Amsterdam (ITA), the Netherlands\u2019 largest theater company, since 2001. He was also artistic director of the Holland Festival, one of the longest-standing Dutch music and theater festivals, from 1998 to 2004.<\/div>\n
On July 1 J. T. Kane<\/strong> will be joining the Manhattan School of Music<\/a><\/strong> (MSM) as dean of the newly created Instrumental Studies and Orchestral Performance Division. Kane is currently VP for musician advancement and dean of orchestra at the New World Symphony. In his new position, Kane will oversee the creation of a cohesive pedagogical and performance framework for the MSM\u2019s largest division, which includes more than 80 faculty and approximately 350 students.<\/div>\n
Symphony San Jose<\/strong><\/a>, formerly Symphony Silicon Valley, formerly San Jose Symphony, has named Robert Massey<\/strong> as its general director. His title of general director, rather than CEO, accounts for Symphony San Jose\u2019s business model, which does not include a music director, leaving Massey to make artistic as well as executive decisions. The professional orchestra performs two concerts each of seven classical programs annually, plus additional special events, and is based at the city\u2019s newly restored California Theater in downtown San Jose.<\/div>\n
Susan Jaffe<\/strong>, for 22 years a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre<\/a><\/strong>, has been named to succeed Kevin McKenzie as the company\u2019s artistic director. Jaffe, most recently in the same post with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, starts at the end of the current season, stepping into a position that McKenzie has held with distinction for 30 years. Following her retirement in 2002, she taught in the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and took on the aforementioned roles within the company. In 2012, she was appointed Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, NC. Over her eight-year tenure, she implemented the ABT National Training Curriculum, established the Choreographic Institute of UNCSA, and proved an effective fundraiser, bringing in $3.5 million in scholarships and other student aid.<\/div>\n
Jonathan Bailey Holland<\/strong>, recent chair of composition, contemporary music and core studies at Boston Conservatory at Berklee, has been appointed as head of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music<\/a><\/strong>, as of August 1. In the Boston Conservatory job since 2016, when it merged with Berklee, Holland, 48, holds a bachelor’s degree in composition from the Curtis Institute and a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He joined Berklee College of Music in 2000 as assistant professor of composition; during his tenure, he worked with the Educational Testing Service in Ewing, N.J. to design music theory examinations and professional development programs. Other achievements include establishing a low-residency MFA track in music composition at Vermont State University.<\/div>\n
Yarmila Alfonzetti<\/strong> is to take over as chief executive of the Queensland Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as of July 11. She succeeds board member Valmay Hill, who has been serving as executive director since Craig Whitehead exited in 2021 to take over at the Sydney Symphony. Alfonzetti has been executive director of State Opera South Australia since 2018, having managed the hiring of the company\u2019s new artistic director, Stuart Maunder. Prior to that Alfonzetti was CEO for Sydney Youth Orchestras, head of external relations for Sydney Conservatorium, and head of classical music at Sydney Opera House.<\/div>\n
London\u2019s Philharmonia Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has hired Thorben Dittes<\/strong>, current director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RSN) in Gateshead, to be its manager beginning in August. He has held the Royal Northern Sinfonia post since 2014, along with the presidency of the Lakeland Sinfonia. Philharmonia COO Kate Collis has been serving as interim.<\/div>\n
April 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Cleveland Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s previous Director of Artistic Planning Ilya Gidalevich<\/strong> has been promoted to VP, Artistic Planning, charged with overseeing the orchestra\u2019s artistic planning and chorus departments. Prior to Cleveland he was an artist manager with Opus 3. Joining the department as artistic administrator under Gidalevich is Michael Gandlmayr<\/strong>, the previous artistic administrator of the Seattle Symphony and formerly in the external affairs department at the St. Louis Symphony.<\/div>\n
Steven Melendez<\/strong> is to succeed company founder Diana Byer as artistic director of the New York Theater Ballet<\/a><\/strong>, a troupe he joined as an apprentice in 2006 and, after winning the Rudolf Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary, studying at the School of American Ballet, summering with the major companies of San Francisco and Houston, was promoted to principal. Melendez has been a featured soloist with major international dance ensembles and performed the world premieres of works by Pam Tanowitz and Richard Alston, among others.<\/div>\n
James O\u2019Donnell<\/strong>, an internationally recognized concert organist, choral conductor, and liturgical musician, is joining the faculty of the Yale Institute of Sacred Music<\/a><\/strong> and the Yale School of Music<\/a><\/strong> in January 2023. He succeeds Thomas Murray as professor to graduate organ majors and other students in sacred music, and will also direct a new professional liturgical vocal ensemble.<\/div>\n
In autumn, Richard Davidson-Houston<\/strong> will become the new managing director of Glyndebourne<\/a><\/strong>. As managing director, he will work closely with Stephen Langridge, the institution\u2019s artistic director. Davidson-Houston has been director of audience development and media for the last two years. His experience in media is extensive and includes past senior positions with Channel 4 and Microsoft.<\/div>\n
Philippe Tondre<\/strong> and Katherine Needleman<\/strong>, principal oboists for the orchestras of Philadelphia and Baltimore, respectively, will succeed Richard Woodhams on the Curtis Institute<\/a><\/strong> faculty roster. The appointment of two oboists to head the program, which usually has five students, represents a change in approach by Curtis, which has been moving toward requiring all students to train with more than one major teacher. The new faculty also represent two different schools of playing. Tondre\u2019s is the European sound, while Needleman, who studied with Woodhams at Curtis, is part of an American pedagogical tradition that extends back several generations.<\/div>\n
Rachel Saltz<\/strong>, dance editor at The New York Times<\/i><\/a><\/strong> since 2015, is to add classical music to her purview. In the latter category, she succeeds Zachary Woolfe, who was recently promoted from classical music editor to classical music critic, succeeding chief classical critic Anthony Tommasini, who retired. Saltz started at the Times<\/i> in 2003 as a copy editor on the sports desk and moved to culture a year later.<\/div>\n
John Thiessen<\/strong> is to be the executive director of New York\u2019s Gotham Early Music Scene<\/a><\/strong> (GEMS) starting in September. The former orchestra manager for Trinity Baroque, he will succeed Gene Murrow, founding executive director of GEMS. Murrow launched the group in 2007 and plans to retire and become board president. Thiessen, who plays natural trumpet, is GEMS\u2019s current director of education and concert production.<\/div>\n
Writer and director Robin Norton-Hale<\/strong>, artistic director of OperaUpClose, which she founded in 2009, is to be the new general director of the English Touring Opera<\/a><\/strong>. She starts in July, having devoted most of her efforts in recent years to OperaUpClose, also a touring company, though a more experimental one.<\/div>\n
Symphony New Hampshire<\/a><\/strong>, coming up on its centennial season in 2022-23, has a new executive director in Deanna Hoying<\/strong>. She has been serving as interim since the departure in August of Marc Thayer, now with Elgin Symphony Orchestra.<\/div>\n
George E. Lewis<\/strong>, a professor of music at Columbia University and an outspoken advocate for the inclusion of Black artists in experimental music, is to be the new artistic director of the International Contemporary Ensemble<\/a><\/strong>. A trombonist who is perhaps best known for his work in electronics, Lewis has been a frequent collaborator with ICE and a board member since 2018. \u201cGeorge\u2019s impact on this ensemble is almost immeasurable,\u201d noted a fellow board member. \u201cHis voice and his vision have been quietly shaping the musical direction of our collective.\u201d<\/div>\n
The J. Paul Getty Trust<\/a><\/strong> has chosen New York University Provost Katherine E. Fleming<\/strong> as its new president and CEO. She follows James Cuno, who will retire this summer after more than a decade in the position. Fleming, whose academic credentials include undergraduate and master\u2019s degrees in religion and a doctorate in history, has been provost at NYU since 2016. Her responsibilities at the Trust, which employs 1,400 people, include oversight of the J. Paul Getty Museum, the grant-issuing Getty Foundation, the Getty Research Institute, and the Getty Conservation Institute. At the top of her agenda, she says, will be the threat the growing environmental degradation poses to the world\u2019s artistic and cultural heritages.<\/div>\n
Mark C. Hanson<\/strong>, who resigned as CEO of the San Francisco Symphony not long after Esa-Pekka Salonen took over as music director, is the new CEO of the Baltimore Symphony<\/a><\/strong>. He started April 21 and succeeds Peter Kjome, whose contract expired in January and whose five-year tenure was marked by strikes, lock-outs, and the Orchestra\u2019s near financial collapse. He is charged with finding a successor to Marin Alsop. James Conlon is serving as the orchestra\u2019s artistic advisor in the interim.<\/div>\n
Zachary Woolfe<\/strong> is moving from the position of classical music editor to classical music critic of The New York Times<\/i><\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Anthony Tommasini, who retired last year. Woolfe started at the Times<\/i> as a freelance critic in 2011; he has been in the staff editorial position since 2015. He has long held the reputation as one of the Times<\/i>\u2019s finest arts critics, and has a particular interest in new music and opera. Previously he worked at a publishing house and studied literature at Princeton University.<\/div>\n
The League of American Orchestras<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Caen Thomason-Redus<\/strong> as its VP of inclusion and learning, one of several leadership shifts at the organization. Thomason-Redus is the senior director of community & learning at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, in which he served as an orchestral fellow. He\u2019s also been a flute professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and development director of the Sphinx Organization. He will start at the League presently and remain in Michigan.<\/div>\n
Fontana Chamber Arts<\/a><\/strong>, dedicated to the presentation of traditional and non-traditional chamber music performances, community outreach and collaboration with other arts presenters, has named Bradley Wong<\/strong>, former director of the School of Music at Western Michigan University, as its director. Wong will join Fontana on May 1, 2022.<\/div>\n
The Young People\u2019s Chorus of New York City<\/a><\/strong> (YPC) announced the appointment of Elizabeth N\u00fa\u00f1ez<\/strong> as creative director. An acclaimed conductor, clinician, speaker, and soloist, N\u00fa\u00f1ez has been with YPC since 2004 and played a significant role in fostering the choir\u2019s key programs as well as providing vision for new initiatives. In her new role, N\u00fa\u00f1ez will lead YPC\u2019s creative programming efforts.<\/div>\n
Charlotte Ballet<\/a><\/strong> has selected Alejandro Cerrudo<\/strong> as artistic director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He will begin his tenure on May 1, 2022. A nationally and internationally renowned artist and choreographer, Cerrudo joins Charlotte Ballet following his most recent appointment as resident choreographer at Seattle\u2019s Pacific Northwest Ballet.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG), provider of hands-on management consulting services to the arts and culture industry, announced that Trinity Villanueva<\/strong> has joined the firm as associate vice president in Washington, DC. She will be an active member of the leadership transitions team. Prior to joining ACG, Villanueva led the nonprofit organization Public Art Reston as executive director, shining light on community inclusion and equitable public art processes.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG announced that Kim Davis<\/strong> has joined the firm as vice president. Based in Chicago, Davis brings more than 25 years of experience in arts and culture education, management, and leadership in nonprofit organizations and municipal agencies. Prior to joining ACG\u2019s Leadership Transitions team, Davis served as the senior director of education at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, the largest community arts school in the United States.<\/div>\n
New York City<\/a><\/strong> mayor Eric Adams has named Laurie Cumbo<\/strong> commissioner of cultural affairs. Cumbo previously served as majority leader in the New York City Council, representing the city’s 35th district.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG announced that Andy Fife<\/strong> has joined the firm as vice president to expand the leadership transitions area. Based in Seattle, Fife is an expert in strategy, leadership, and governance. He brings 25 years of experience in founding and leading nonprofits and public programs in the arts and creative sector with an extensive background in executive leadership transitions and organizational design, finance, strategy, and governance.<\/div>\n
Washington Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> has announced the appointment of two new members to its Board of Directors: Joseph May<\/strong> and Kerrien Suarez<\/strong>. Having previously served on the Junior Board, Dr. May and Ms. Suarez have been engaged advocates for Washington Performing Arts\u2019s mission, amplifying their support for its wide-ranging programs.<\/div>\n
March 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Madison (WI) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (MSO has appointed Robert A. Reed<\/strong> as its new executive director, starting full time on June 6, 2022. He succeeds Rick Mackie, who retired last June. Reed arrives after six years in the same position with the Plano (TX) Symphony, capping some 30 years working with orchestras in a variety of jobs.<\/div>\n
The San Francisco Ballet<\/a><\/strong> has selected Danielle St. Germain-Gordon<\/strong>, interim executive director for the last nine months, to assume the position on a permanent basis. She succeeds Kelly Tweeddale, in the role for less than two years. St. Germain-Gordon will partner with Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, when she arrives later this year, the first new person in that post in nearly four decades. Before joining the SF Ballet in 2018 as chief development officer, Germain-Gordon was director of development at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and at Washington, DC\u2019s, Shakespeare Theater Company; chief development officer at Arena Stage; and VP of institutional advancement at the American Association of Museums. St. Germain-Gordon is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.<\/div>\n
Patrick Chamberlain<\/strong>, VP of artistic planning at the New Jersey Symphony, is to be the next VP of artistic administration for the Aspen Music Festival and School<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Asadour Santourian, newly named as VP of the Boston Symphony\u2019s Tanglewood Music Center & Learning. Chamberlain will report to Aspen President and CEO Alan Fletcher, working with Music Director Robert Spano, Aspen Opera Theater and VocalARTS Co-Artistic Directors Patrick Summers and Ren\u00e9e Fleming, and the artist-faculty. He is a former artist liaison at Aspen.<\/div>\n
Violinist Nicola Benedetti<\/strong> is to be the next director of the Edinburgh International Festival<\/a><\/strong> (EIF), becoming the first woman and the first Scot to lead the 75-year-old late summer celebration of music, theater, opera, and dance. The 34-year-old, Ayrshire-born musician first came into the public eye when, at 16, she was crowned BBC Young Musician of the Year. Now she has become is one of Scotland\u2019s most visible performing artists as well as an outspoken advocate for music education throughout the U.K. Benedetti has worked closely with Sistema Scotland for several years, has established her own foundation, and offered free online music lessons during the pandemic.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Ernest A. Figueroa<\/strong> has joined the firm as associate vice president. Figueroa brings 30 years of experience and has worked as an arts administrator, live event producer, director, performer, and playwright within in professional theater, educational theater, film, television, radio broadcasting, and arts event management. Based in Los Angeles, Figueroa joins ACG\u2019s leadership transitions team, providing additional support in the areas of facilities and program planning, strategy, and capacity building.<\/div>\n
February 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Kate Rockett<\/strong>, who for six years has been director of artists and repertoire and executive producer for the Pentatone label, is to be the new general director of the Amsterdam-based Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century<\/a><\/strong>. Trained as a trombonist at the Royal Academy of Music, she moved into management about ten years ago after touring internationally with the likes of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, The Gabrieli Consort, and Concerto K\u00f6ln, among others. At the 40-year-old Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, she succeeds Sieuwert Verster.<\/div>\n
The Metropolitan Opera<\/a><\/strong> has brought veteran and versatile New York Times<\/i> reporter Daniel J. (Dan) Wakin<\/strong> on board as its senior director of communications, reporting to Met Assistant General Manager for Marketing and Communications Gillian Brierley. Wakin has been at the Times<\/i> for 22 years, most recently as an editor at the Obituaries desk, but several promotions before that he was the newspaper\u2019s first officially designated arts and culture reporter.The Met has declined to say what his duties will be; he certainly knows the place well, having done his fair share of stories about it over the years.<\/div>\n
Colorado\u2019s Central City Opera<\/a><\/strong>, which prides itself on being the country\u2019s fifth oldest professional opera company, has appointed a new president and CEO in Pamela Pantos<\/strong>, current development director of the Boston Children\u2019s Chorus, a job she has had for five months. Before that, until May 2020, she was artistic director of the Newport Music Festival for three years.<\/div>\n
Gina Duncan<\/strong>, who left the Brooklyn Academy of Music<\/a><\/strong> in September 2020 to become producing director at the Sundance Institute, is returning to BAM as its new president. Duncan, 41, takes on responsibility for a $50 million operating budget; The New York Times reports she has never held the top job at an arts institution. During her 18 months at Sundance, Duncan produced the Film Festival online and in-person and managed the institute\u2019s year-round operations.<\/div>\n
Claire Spencer<\/strong>, CEO of Arts Center Melbourne (ACM), is to become the first-ever CEO of the Barbican Center<\/a><\/strong>, which claims to be the largest performing arts and conference center in Europe. She succeeds Nicholas Kenyon, who stepped down last September after nearly 14 years in the post of managing director. Prior to her current post, which she\u2019ll exit in April before starting in London next May, Spencer was with the Sydney Opera House for ten years, the last of which she was CEO.<\/div>\n
Recent hires at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity<\/a><\/strong> have filled three key leadership positions: director of indigenous leadership, dean of arts and leadership, and director of dance training programming. Simon Ross<\/strong>, a hereditary member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation in British Columbia, fills the first post. The program, which is celebrating its 50th year, trains leaders how to develop, implement, and measure the success of strategic plans. Participants also learn the skills and knowledge needed to run effective organizations and build economically sustainable communities. Mark Wold<\/strong> is the new dean of arts and leadership; with more than two decades experience in arts and leadership at the Center, Wold has developed and implemented programs in music, visual, and literary arts, and supported the growth of year-round indigenous arts programming. The Center\u2019s third new hire is Alejandro Ronceira<\/strong> as director of dance training programming. A native of Bogota, Columbia, Ronceira trained in both classical ballet and modern dance in Columbia, the Soviet Union, and New York before moving to Canada in 1984.<\/div>\n
The Las Vegas Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has tapped Alice Sauro<\/strong> as its interim executive director, effective February 1. She succeeds Anne Berquist, who was recently dismissed \u201cbased on her performance in the role,\u201d according to the orchestra. Sauro, who served for seven years as executive director of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera (SPO) before moving to Las Vegas two years ago, will be providing artistic and administrative counsel in her new post.<\/div>\n

Marcus Performing Arts Center<\/strong><\/a> has selected Katie Dillow<\/strong> as vice president of finance and administration, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). Dillow began her tenure on December 13, 2021. In addition, Marcus Center has selected Ken Harris<\/strong> to be vice president of venue operations, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). Harris began his tenure on November 8, 2021.<\/p>\n

Arts Consulting Group<\/strong><\/a> (ACG) announced that Todd M. Ahrens<\/strong> has joined the firm as vice president to expand the revenue enhancement area. Ahrens has 30 years of nonprofit experience in the arts, museums, and education sectors, including 15 years in senior-level management positions.<\/div>\n
Green Lake Festival of Music<\/a><\/strong> has named violist, chamber music coach, and performer Elizabeth Oakes<\/strong> program director of its Chamber Music Institute. Oakes brings with her decades of experience as a string quartet and chamber music performer, an arts entrepreneur, and a chamber music coach and presenter.<\/div>\n
January 2022<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Col. Larry H. Lang<\/strong>, commander and conductor of the U.S. Air Force band from 2012-19, is to be the Amarillo (TX) Symphony<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s executive director as of March, 2022. He succeeds David Hyslop, who’s been serving as interim since September of 2021. Lang arrives after nearly three years in the same post as executive director of the Flagstaff (AZ) Symphony. Moving to Amarillo, he says, brings him closer to his grandchildren. Lang has spent 29 years in the USAF, serving in various capacities, from combat to conducting.<\/div>\n
Approaching its centennial season next year, the San Francisco Opera<\/a><\/strong> has added the position of chief operating officer (COO) to its ranks, a post that reports directly to General Director Matthew Shilvock in the role of \u201cstrategic partner.\u201d She is Theresa Von Klug<\/strong>, arriving as of February 28 after seven years as General Manager of the Berkeley Repertory Theater. Among her areas of oversight in San Francisco are music operations (including orchestra, chorus and dance corps), patron operations, and the company\u2019s archives.<\/div>\n
The Chattanooga Symphony and Opera<\/a><\/strong> (CSO), which presents about 20 pops, symphonic, and chamber concerts a season, has named John Kilkenny<\/strong> to succeed Samantha Teter as executive director, starting March 1. He\u2019s been at George Mason University since 2008 and has been serving as artistic and executive director of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN. In the job since 2018, he is credited with expanding programing and enrollment, as well as successfully raising the festival’s profile and its funding base.<\/div>\n
John Batchelder<\/strong>, a solo violist and member of the Julius Quartet, is the new executive director of the Dallas Chamber Music Society<\/a><\/strong>, succeeding Mary Anna Salo. Batchelder\u2019s administrative experience includes working with a nonprofit music education program and serving for one year as creative director and artist-in-residence at EMERGE Coalition Inc., a contemporary, cross-genre arts program. The DCMS presents five concerts a season, mostly by touring groups.<\/div>\n
New York Public Radio<\/a><\/strong> (NYPR) has a number of new staff members, including Kristina Newman-Scott<\/strong>, who earlier in January 2022 became executive director of The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, a new position. NYPR is the umbrella corporation housing the aforementioned, along with WNYC, WQXR, Gothamist, WNYC Studios, and New Jersey Public Radio. Newman-Scott stepped down in August after three years as president of BRIC, a Brooklyn-based contemporary arts and media center. In her new job, she\u2019ll oversee the programming and public visibility of NYPR\u2019s street-level live-performance and studio space, which in the past has hosted everything from press conferences to lectures to performances and celebrity interviews.<\/div>\n
Des Moines Metro Opera<\/a><\/strong> (DMMO) has named Allen Perriello<\/strong>, recent head of music at Minnesota Opera, as director of artistic administration, a new position succeeding the previous one of artistic administrator, held by Samuel Carroll, in the job from 2015-21. Perriello, also recent director of the young artist program at Glimmerglass, returns to DMMO after having served on its music staff from 2011-16. He starts next month, as the company launches its 50th-anniversary season in March.<\/div>\n
Pensacola Opera<\/a><\/strong>, which in this its 39th season performs two performances each of The Magic Flute<\/i> and the Barber of Seville<\/i>, will realign its staff as of August 2022, when Jerome Shannon retires after 20 years as artistic director. Cody Martin<\/strong>, with the company since 2017 as conductor and overseer of resident artist and community education programs, will move up to the post of music director. Corey McKern<\/strong>, a baritone with experience on a number of opera stages in the southern U.S., is to be artistic director. Chandra McKern becomes general director, having previously held the post of executive director. She first joined the company in 2015. Shannon, meanwhile, is to be titled principal guest conductor.<\/div>\n
Mezzo-soprano Leanne Pettit Clement<\/strong>, former director of Louisiana\u2019s Op\u00e9ra Louisiane, is the general director of Charlottesville Opera<\/a><\/strong> as of January 1. Charlottesville\u2019s next summer season includes The Sound of Music<\/i> and The Merry Widow<\/i>.<\/div>\n
On Jan. 11 the San Francisco Ballet<\/a><\/strong> appointed Tamara Rojo<\/strong> as its first new artistic director in nearly 40 years and the first woman to lead the company. She follows Helgi Tomasson, in the position for 37 years, and will join the company at the end of 2022. Rojo will be coming to San Francisco from the English National Ballet, where she has been artistic director and lead principal for nine-and-a-half years. Her tenure has been characterized by a creative program balance between new and contemporary choreography and a commitment to re-contextualizing classics to directly address pertinent social issues. She also led a successful \u00a336mn ($49.3mn) capital campaign to create a new company headquarters.<\/div>\n
The board of the Orlando Ballet<\/a><\/strong> named Jorden Morris<\/strong> as the company\u2019s new artistic director. Morris has worked with the company since August 2020 as guest artistic director, and is widely credited for productions of Moulin Rouge\u2014The Ballet<\/i> and Peter Pan<\/i> and his enhancements to the company\u2019s annual The Nutcracker<\/i>; his new production of The Great Gatsby<\/i> will close the season in April 2022. Morris began his career at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, where he danced for 11 years, and has held leadership positions at Boston Ballet, Edmonton Citie Ballet, and The School of Royal Winnipeg Ballet.<\/div>\n
Mark Williams<\/strong>, chief artistic and operations officer of the Cleveland Orchestra, is to be the new CEO of the Toronto Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as of April 2022. He succeeds Matthew Loden, who took over as dean of Rice University\u2019s Shepherd School of Music in October after running the TSO for three years. Prior to joining Cleveland in 2013, Williams, 42, was artistic administrator of the San Francisco Symphony. With a BM in horn performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, he began his career at IMG artists.<\/div>\n
In St. Louis, Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> President and CEO Marie-H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Bernard introduced Yolanda \u201cYoli\u201d Alovor<\/strong>, Ph.D., as the institution\u2019s first VP of external affairs and equity, diversity, and inclusion. A St. Louis native, Alovor will oversee the SLSO\u2019s ongoing work toward, equity, diversity, and inclusion as well as the alignment of its external affairs and communications with the orchestra\u2019s strategic plan and EDI framework.<\/div>\n
In Los Angeles Shelby D. Boagni<\/strong> has been named senior VP of people & culture at the Music Center<\/a><\/strong>, the nation\u2019s third largest performing arts center. With the aim of championing an inclusive culture across the organization, she will be charged with overseeing the recruitment, development, motivation, and retention of a team that prioritizes diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. Most recently vice president of human resources for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Boagni\u2019s more than 25 years of experience also include executive-level positions with industry-leading companies including IHOP; The Home Depot; Mars, Inc.; McDonald\u2019s Corporation; and The Walt Disney Company. A native Angeleno, Boagni has a B.A. from Howard University and a Senior Certified Professional Certification (SHRM-SCP) from the Society for Human Resources Management.<\/div>\n
With the new post of vice president of the Tanglewood Music Center & Learning<\/a><\/strong>, Asadour Santourian<\/strong> will oversee the BSO\u2019s training, education, and community programs, including new partnerships and collaborations. (Ellen Highstein, who has planned most of 2022, will return next summer to run TMC and direct the 2022 Festival of Contemporary Music.) Santourian arrives from the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he has been VP for artistic administration and artistic advisor for 18 years.<\/div>\n
Also new at the Boston Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as of this month is Maureen Flores<\/strong>, in the position of chief development officer. Flores has been with Bentley University since 2014 and, since 2017, has been its VP for advancement. Previous higher education advancement posts have included Fordham and Harvard universities and the University of Cincinnati.<\/div>\n
Tino Gagliardi<\/strong> has won a three-year term as president and executive director of the NYC Musicians’ Union Local 802<\/a><\/strong>, the largest local union of professional musicians in the world. His election, which was unopposed, represents a fourth time around for Gagliardi, who served in the same capacity from 2010 to 2018.<\/div>\n
December 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Acclaimed heldentenor Stuart Skelton<\/strong> is to be the new chairman of opera at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music<\/a><\/strong> as of January 3. He succeeds Marie-France Lefebvre, in the job two years; she plans to remain on the faculty as professor of opera. Skelton, a CCM alumnus (MM Voice 1995) and active performer and recording artist, has been on the faculty since August.<\/div>\n
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in Palm Beach<\/a><\/strong> has tapped Phillip Bergmann<\/strong> as artistic advisor for classical music. His responsibilities will include the \u201cRegional Arts Classical Concert Series,\u201d entering its 47th season; the \u201cYoung Artists Series;\u201d and the \u201cBeyond the Stage\u201d series of pre-concert talks. Bergmann studied opera and vocal performance at Carnegie Mellon University before working as a booking agent in New York for Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI) and Opus 3 Artists. He relocated to South Florida in 2016 to head music and film programming at The Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach, where he served for four years.<\/div>\n
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (SSO) has appointed Craig Whitehead<\/strong> as interim CEO, effective immediately, in the wake of Emma Dunch\u2019s resignation on Dec. 10. Whitehead has considerable experience at senior executive levels in the Australian arts community, serving as CEO of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra (2019-21), the West Australian Symphony Orchestra (2008-18), and West Australian Opera (2006-08) and as General Manager of Brisbane\u2019s La Boite Theater Company.<\/div>\n
The Cardiff-based Streetwise Opera<\/a><\/strong> has named Martin Constantine<\/strong> as artistic director, beginning in January. His appointment results from an organizational overhaul that has combined two co-executive director positions into that of a CEO and elevated a part-time artistic director to fulltime status. For nearly 20 years Streetwise Opera has engaged world-class artists in collaborations with people affected by homelessness; it currently operates singing and creative workshops in London, Manchester, and Nottingham.<\/div>\n
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (DSO) has looked within to find the successor to Anne Parsons; it is current VP and General Manager Erik R\u00f6nmark<\/strong>, who has been with the orchestra since 2005 and who can comfortably call Parsons his mentor. He takes over in March, as Parsons remains in the job through November 2022 in the post of president emeritus, a position to which she was named in perpetuity by the board last year. Among a host of accomplishments, he is credited with heading the search committee that found Jader Bignamini, and was also involved in launching the Live from Orchestra Hall webcasts in 2011, making it the first orchestra in the U.S. to stream its concerts live and enabling the DSO to stream prerecorded full orchestra performances during the pandemic long before other groups could get their acts together.<\/div>\n
The Monteux School and Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>, the six-week conductor-intensive founded by legendary maestro Pierre Monteux in 1943, has a new executive director in Stan Renard<\/strong>, an alumnus of the school. Renard succeeds Marc C. Thayer, in the job three-plus years before being named CEO of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in Illinois last July. Renard takes over in the 2022 season, which next summer runs from June 19 to July 22 and is currently accepting applications from candidates 18 and up. Described by Monteux as a \u201cviolinist, violist, arts manager, orchestra conductor, and founder and arranger of the Bohemian Quartet,\u201d Renard is currently visiting associate professor and coordinator of arts management and entrepreneurship at the University of Oklahoma.<\/div>\n
The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, which celebrated its 75th-anniversary in the 2019-20 season, has named Jenny Mann<\/strong> as its next president and executive director. Mann is associate professor of bassoon and music management at the University of Alabama, where she also serves as coordinator for the arts administration degree. She authored the widely adopted textbook Teaching Woodwinds: Bassoon and has recorded three albums with the Cavell Trio. She holds a BA in music education from Baylor University and master\u2019s and doctorate degrees in music from the University of Texas at Austin.<\/div>\n
November 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Fl\u00f3rez<\/strong> is to be the next artistic director of the Rossini Opera Festival<\/a><\/strong>, an annual summer event dedicated to its namesake. He was recommended by his predecessor in the position, Ernesto Palacio, also a Peruvian tenor, who has held the job since 2019. Fl\u00f3rez, 48, has been a regular at the 42-year-old event, which takes credit as the site of his professional debut in 1996, appearing in Matilde di Shabran<\/i>. Since then, Fl\u00f3rez has sung in 15 operas and 11 concerts at the Festival.<\/div>\n
The Supervisory Board of the Salzburg Festival<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Kristina Hammer<\/strong> as the new president of the Salzburg Festival. She succeeds Helga Rabl-Stadler, who held the position for 27 years. Hammer\u2019s selection from among six finalists, said the Board, was a \u201cconscious step taken\u2026 to further internationalize the Salzburg Festival.\u201d Among those capabilities that recommended Hammer were \u201cher successful career\u2026 her long-term connection with the Salzburg Festival, and her cultural track record as a board member of the Friends of the Zurich Opera.\u201d Hammer, who studied law in Mainz and earned a doctorate degree summa cum laude in European business law at the Vienna University, has been owner of the strategic brand consultancy HammerSolutions in Zurich for more than ten years. For the previous 15 years she held international management positions in Germany, England, and Austria.<\/div>\n
The general manager of Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s media company has just been named CEO and executive director of the American Ballet Theatre<\/a><\/strong>. Janet Roll\u00e9<\/strong> succeeds Kara Medoff Barnett, who resigned in July. Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie has also announced his intention to retire, at the end of 2022. Roll\u00e9 starts January 3. She has been the overseer of Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s Parkwood Entertainment since 2016, managing a broad spectrum of activity from media and film to business development and artist management. Previously she was executive VP and chief marketer at CNN Worldwide, with a staff of 110, and before that executive VP of BET Networks.<\/div>\n
Edmonton Opera<\/a><\/strong> has hired an artistic director known for his bold programming ideas, Joel Ivany<\/strong>, founding director of Against the Grain Theatre (AtG), whose moniker defines its mission of presenting off-beat updates of operas in unusual venues. Ivany, 41, succeeds Tim Yakimec, who left earlier this year after eight seasons. In addition to his new post, Ivany will remain artistic director of AtG as well as director of opera at the Banff Centre.<\/div>\n
Charlotte Smith<\/strong>, editor of The Strad<\/i>, is to succeed Oliver Condy as the editor of BBC Music<\/i><\/a><\/strong> magazine in January. Smith has been editor of The Strad<\/i> since 2017; she initially served as the magazine\u2019s online editor and has also worked for Gramophone<\/i>. She holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in violin performance from London\u2019s Royal College of Music and a master\u2019s in English from Cambridge University.<\/div>\n
John Roloff<\/strong> is the new COO of the Kansas City Symphony<\/strong><\/a>. He arrives from the Milwaukee Symphony, where, as VP of orchestra and facility operations, he functioned as executive producer for MSO\u2019s live and media activities, including a nationally syndicated radio series and, during the pandemic, the launch of MSO Live, the orchestra\u2019s streaming platform. He also guided the metamorphosis of the Warner Grand Theater into the Bradley Symphony Center and oversaw the transition of operations to the new facility after it opened in January 2021. Roloff holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and is an alumnus of the League\u2019s Emerging Leaders Program.<\/div>\n
Washington Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong>, D.C.\u2019s other major presenter, has named Eric James<\/strong> to the post of CFO. James currently holds the same position with the National Education Association (NEA) Foundation and starts at the venerable producing group in January. James, with over two decades of experience in finance and the arts, holds a master\u2019s degree in administration from Trinity Washington University and a bachelor\u2019s in business from Washington and Lee University.<\/div>\n
The Little Orchestra Society<\/a><\/strong> (L.O.S.) has promoted its director of education and recent associate director to the top administrative post. Now executive director, Anthony C. Ball<\/strong>, succeeds Joanne Bernstein-Cohen, who died in August at the age of 73. She had been with the L.O.S. for 34 years. In conjunction with David Alan Miller, appointed the orchestra\u2019s artistic advisor in 2019, Ball will oversee the youth-purposed professional orchestra\u2019s upcoming 75th anniversary season.<\/div>\n
David McCormick<\/strong>, an early music scholar, educator, and Baroque violinist, is to succeed Karin Brookes as the executive director of Early Music America<\/a><\/strong> (EMA). Brookes, in the job four years, is the new administrative director at the Juilliard School. McCormick, a founding member of New York-based medieval ensemble Alkemie, has been artistic director of the Early Music Access Project, as well as executive director of Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival and Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival, both in Virginia.<\/div>\n
Robert Neu<\/strong>, an opera and music theater director, is to be the new VP of artistic planning for the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera<\/a><\/strong>. The organization cites his past consultancies and affiliations with the major orchestras of Colorado, Minnesota, and Cincinnati. By his own accounting, Neu has directed more than 100 opera and music theater productions over the past two decades, served as artistic director of Minnesota’s Skylark Opera Theater, co-founder of Angels & Demons Entertainment, and a lecturer at the University of Minnesota.<\/div>\n
Graham Parker<\/strong> is to serve as interim executive director of the Louisville Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. He steps into the vacancy left by Robert Massey, who left in May 2020 after one year in the job. Previously Parker, a musician by training, was senior VP of New York Public Radio, serving as general manager of New York\u2019s classical music mainstay WQXR. Before that he was executive director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and held various positions with the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the New York Philharmonic. In Louisville his tasks will include the search for his permanent replacement.<\/div>\n
October 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The San Francisco Opera<\/a><\/strong> has engaged Lisa Bury<\/strong> as its chief philanthropy officer, reporting to General Director Matthew Shilvock and overseeing the department responsible for the annual fund, institutional and major gifts, grants, corporate sponsorships, planned giving, endowment and capital campaigns. She arrives December 8 after two years in a similar post with the Dallas Opera and, before that on an interim basis, the Boston Symphony and other classical organizations, including 14 years with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.<\/div>\n
The Britt Festival Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (BFO), which is coming up on the 60th anniversary of its annual Britt Music & Arts Festival next summer, has named Renia Shterenberg<\/strong>, a former violinist in the orchestra, as its new general manager. The southern Oregon Festival\u2019s music director is Teddy Abrams, Musical America\u2019s 2022 Conductor of the Year. Shterenberg, who played with the BFO from 2004-11 before switching to arts administration, arrives from San Antonio, TX, where she served as executive director of the Olmos Ensemble, an emerging chamber group.<\/div>\n
The London Mozart Players<\/a><\/strong> (LMP), founded in 1949 by Harry Blech, has a new executive director in the wings. His name is Flynn Le Brocq<\/strong> and he starts in January. Le Brocq has held executive leadership roles at the Southwell Music Festival and the Oxford Bach Soloists, and was a company manager at Nevill Holt Opera. His recent startup projects have included the Stay at Home Choir and music concierge service Haus Musik. Flynn trained as a singer at the University of Edinburgh.<\/div>\n
Welz Kauffman<\/strong>, who resigned two years ago after 20 years at the helm of the Ravinia Festival, has resurfaced in Tucson, AZ, where he has become the first-ever fulltime managing director of True Concord Voices & Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, a professional ensemble that performs about 10 programs annually, each in multiple venues and all available for streaming thereafter.<\/div>\n
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olorado\u2019s Central City Opera<\/a><\/strong> has come up with a new five-year strategic plan that moves Pelham \u201cPat\u201d Pearce, Jr.<\/strong>, its general\/artistic director sporting 25 years with the company, to the position of artistic director and senior VP. A new post of CEO has been added, designed to oversee all administrative and operations.<\/p>\n

Camerata Pacifica<\/a><\/strong>, a 30-year-old chamber ensemble based in Santa Barbara, CA, has named former Jacksonville Symphony VP and General Manager Roger Wight<\/strong> as executive director. He succeeds Amy Williams, who left the position of managing director last fall and is now executive director of the Savannah Philharmonic. Camerata Pacifica is a traveling operation, with subscription series in four Southern Californian cities: Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Marino, and Los Angeles. The group\u2019s \u201cNightingale Channel,\u201d a collaboration with UCLA Health, offers digital programming to hospitals and retirement communities.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Mario Garcia Durham<\/strong> has joined the firm as vice president based in Washington, DC. A respected policy strategist known for his diplomatic approach and ability to bring people together, he brings more than 30 years of experience guiding community-based, regional, and national arts and service organizations. His areas of expertise include board relations and leadership, strategy, organizational management, resource optimization, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that D\u00e1maso Rodr\u00edguez<\/strong> has joined the firm as vice president within the Planning & Capacity Building area. Based in Portland, OR, he has worked as a producer, director, educator, and arts administrator at theaters and universities, bringing more than 20 years of experience as an arts leader at both start-up organizations and venerable institutions across the United States.<\/div>\n
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong> has selected Christopher Harrington<\/strong> as president and CEO, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He will began his tenure on November 1, 2021. Mr. Harrington has held several positions at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he has worked since 2012. Most recently serving as senior director of jazz and @The Max, he was responsible for marketing and programming local, national, and international talent, ensuring a sustainable business model to attract and retain new audiences. Mr. Harrington also increased the symphony\u2019s presentations sevenfold, grew ticket revenue by more than 300 percent, and led the rebranding and launch of its venue The Cube.<\/div>\n
Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has named Elizabeth Chang<\/strong> its new artistic director. Chang, professor of violin at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been a member of the festival’s faculty since 2007. She succeeds founder Kevin Lawrence.<\/div>\n
United Arts of Central Florida<\/a><\/strong> has selected Jennifer Clark Evins<\/strong> as president and CEO, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on June 21, 2021. For more than a decade, Ms. Evins held various leadership roles at Chapman Cultural Center, a South Carolina arts agency that provides major funding and support for local arts and culture organizations. Most recently serving as the president and CEO, she oversaw facility operations, marketing, cultural tourism, arts education, grant-making, public art, and advocacy. She also facilitated equity, diversity, and inclusion training for the cultural sector and expanded cultural facilities to include affordable studios and co-workspaces for artists to collaborate, teach, and hone their skills.<\/div>\n
September 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance<\/a><\/strong> has named Patricia Wilson Aden<\/strong> as its new president and CEO as of January 2022. She will succeed Priscilla M. Luce, who has been in the role since the previous leader, Maud Lyon, retired on July 31, 2020. Aden, current president and CEO of the Blues Foundation in Memphis, TN, is no stranger to the Philadelphia arts scene, having been president and CEO of the city\u2019s African American Museum for eight years. She also held positions as president of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation\u2019s mid-Atlantic regional office.<\/div>\n
The Portland (OR) Opera<\/a><\/strong> has named an interim music director in composer Damien Geter<\/strong> whose works fuse various styles and bear titles such as An African American Requiem<\/i>, The Justice Symphony<\/i>, and Neo-Soul<\/i>. Geter has been Portland Opera\u2019s co-artistic advisor since July 2020 and artistic advisor for the social justice focused Resonance Ensemble; he is also a singer and actor and holds a master\u2019s degree in conducting from Indiana State University.<\/div>\n
As of Sept. 1, 2022, dramaturg, curator, and theater manager Matthias Pees<\/strong> will become the new director of Berliner Festspiele<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Thomas Oberender, in the position since 2012 and leaving at his own request. The 51-year-old Pees, a native of Georgsmarienh\u00fctte, brings an impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 to his new assignment. He has served as both artistic and managing director of the international production house K\u00fcnstlerhaus Mousonturm in Frankfurt\/Main (2013\u201322), leading dramaturg at Wiener Festwochen (2010\u201313), founder and co-managing director of the international production agency prod.art.br. in S\u00e3o Paulo (2004\u201310), program dramaturg at Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen (2003\u201304), theater dramaturg at schauspielhannover (2000\u201303) and at Volksb\u00fchne am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (1995\u20132000). He has also worked as an arts journalist and theater critic.<\/div>\n
Universal Music Publishing Group<\/a><\/strong> (UMPG) has named Natasha Baldwin<\/strong> to the newly created position of Executive VP, Classics and Screen. The London-based Baldwin will be responsible for leading the company\u2019s global classical and screen composer businesses, and will be a direct report to Jody Gerson, UMPG chairman and CEO, and Marc Cimino, UMPG COO. She is following Jim Kendrick, who is retiring after ten years leading UMPG Classical.<\/div>\n
Toledo Opera<\/a><\/strong> has named not one but two artistic directors to succeed James Meena, who left as general director and principal conductor last year to take the same post with Opera Carolina, in Charlotte, NC. Toledo\u2019s James Norman<\/strong>, employed by the company since 2012, has been promoted from director of artistic administration and production to co-artistic director with Kevin Bylsma<\/strong>, a voice coach and longtime lecturer in opera at Bowling Green State University. Bylsma has been with Toledo Opera on and off since 1997, originally as a rehearsal pianist and chorus preparer. Both will be working with Executive Director Suzanne Rorick and all three will be involved with season planning. Music preparation will fall mostly to Bylsma, production to Norman, and together the duo will make casting, design, and direction decisions.<\/div>\n
Debra Lew Harder<\/strong>, a classical music host and producer for Temple University\u2019s WRTI-FM in Philadelphia, as well as a concert pianist and a medical doctor, is to be the new host of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts<\/a><\/strong>, starting when the season opens on September 27. She succeeds Mary Jo Heath, who retired in May after five years in the job. The Met cites its broadcasts as the \u201clongest running classical music program in American radio,\u201d dating back to 1931. Lew Harder is the fifth host, preceded by Heath, Margaret Juntwait, Peter Allen, and Milton Cross.<\/div>\n
Sean Michael Gross<\/strong> is to be the new director of Warner Classics U.K.<\/a><\/strong>, reporting to Alain Landeron, president of Warner Classics and Erato, based in Paris. Gross succeeds Patrick Lemanski, who left last year and is now consulting for Na\u00efve records. Gross\u2019s most recent position was director of global strategy and innovation at London-based Askonas Holt artist management, a position for which he relocated from New York in 2018. He stepped down from AH last January as the pandemic swept through the business and crippled artists and their managers\u2019 income.<\/div>\n
The Public Theater of San Antonio has selected Claudia de Vasco<\/strong> as executive artistic director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on September 13, 2021. Most recently, Ms. de Vasco served as the head of cultural integration for BrickHouse Talent Agency in Los Angeles. While there, she identified hurdles for diversity within Hollywood and devised practical solutions to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry and agency. Ms. de Vasco also designed and launched a ground-breaking agency division by ideating with other entertainment industry change-makers.<\/div>\n
Chamber Music Society of Palm Beach<\/a><\/strong> has named Ahmad Mayes<\/strong> its new executive director. Mayes previously served as director of education and community engagement with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. While there, he oversaw a wide range of field leading programs including Concerts for Young People, school and community partnerships, musician training, and nation-wide DE&I collaborations as director of education and community engagement.<\/div>\n
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater<\/a><\/strong> has selected Francesca Harper<\/strong> as artistic director of Ailey II, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on September 7, 2021. Ms. Harper has choreographed works for both of the Ailey professional companies, Dance Theater of Harlem, Hubbard Street II, and La Bale Da Cidade, among others. She has also choreographed works commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, and her own company, The Francesca Harper Project. Ms. Harper has been a principal dancer with Frankfurt Ballet and a featured performer in Broadway shows. Sought after for her expertise and experience as a consultant for major film and stage productions, Ms. Harper is currently engaged as executive producer with Sony Pictures on a series in development.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Menon Dwarka<\/strong> has joined the firm as senior vice president to lead and expand ACG\u2019s services to Canadian organizations. Based in Toronto and New York, his expertise is focused on supporting opportunities for more diverse management teams, boards of directors, programming, and accessible cultural facilities that better serve the changing demographics of North America.<\/div>\n
Breckenridge Creative Arts<\/a><\/strong> (BCA), a multidisciplinary nonprofit organization responsible for the successful management of a series of programs, properties, and partnerships that collectively animate and populate a cultural corridor in the heart of downtown Breckenridge, announces today that Tamara Nuzzaci Park<\/strong> has been named president and chief executive officer. Park was appointed acting president in May 2021 and served as the executive director of Breckenridge Music (Breck Music) for the past six years.<\/div>\n
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August 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Li Xincao<\/strong>, chief conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra<\/strong><\/a> (CNSO) since 2018 and its vice president since 2019, has been named the orchestra\u2019s president by the Ministry of Culture & Tourism. He fills a post vacated by Zhang Yi who resigned in April 2019. Li Xincao studied in Vienna and returned to China in 1999. At 50, he is the youngest among the five conductors working closely with the orchestra, including Tan Dun (artistic advisor), Chen Xieyang (emeritus conductor), Shao En (principal guest), Muhai Tang (honorary conductor).<\/div>\n
Marc Stevens<\/strong> is to succeed Paul Dornian as president and CEO of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra<\/a> <\/strong>in September. Dornian is retiring after six years in the job. Stevens arrives after seven years at the National Arts Center (NAC) in Ottawa, where he was the NAC Orchestra\u2019s general manager and, for a time, acting managing director, and led the orchestra on a number of tours of North America and Europe.<\/div>\n
Tom West<\/strong>, former chief advancement officer of the Los Angeles-based American Film Institute, is the new executive director of the Atlanta Ballet<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Arturo Jacobus, who retired at the end of last season, leaving the company in fiscal health after 12 years in the job. West\u2019s fund-raising proclivity has been demonstrated with 10 years at the AFI, nearly four years as VP of development for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts (at the time known as the Orange County Performing Arts Center), and 10 years as VP of development at the Kennedy Center. He holds degrees in theater and arts administration. he starts full time in Atlanta at the end of September.<\/div>\n
Michael Heaston<\/strong>, a former executive director of the Lindemann program and current artistic administrator for the Metropolitan Opera<\/a><\/strong>, has been named as Diane Zola\u2019s replacement, and will oversee all matters artistic, including planning, scheduling, and casting; managing music and artistic staff; scheduling rehearsals, performances, and auditions; and working with all artists and their representatives. Melissa Wegner, current overseer of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions\u2014renamed in May \u201cthe Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition\u201d\u2014is to add the executive directorship of the Lindeman Young Artist Development Program to her duties.<\/div>\n
As of September 1, Kevin Kwan Loucks<\/strong>, an Orange-county based chamber musician and entrepreneur, is the new CEO of Chamber Music America<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Margaret Loi, who announced her retirement last November. Loucks\u2019s wide-ranging background includes co-founding Chamber Music OC, a performance and outreach organization coming up on its 10th anniversary in 2022; program development for the Music Academy of the West; fund-raising for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County; performing as pianist and founding member of the still-extant Trio C\u00e9leste; and serving as a teaching assistant for the Emerson String Quartet at SUNY Stony Brook.<\/div>\n
Mark Ball<\/strong> will become artistic director of the Southbank Center<\/a><\/strong>, the U.K.\u2019s largest arts center, in January 2022. Currently the creative director at Manchester International Festival, Ball will be responsible for developing an expansive artistic strategy to foster a nationwide reach and enhance the organization\u2019s digital offerings. Prior to his current position at Manchester, Ball served as artistic director and chief executive of the London International Festival of Theater, head of events and exhibitions at the Royal Shakespeare Company, and founding artistic director of Fierce, an edgy, Birmingham-based theater company.<\/div>\n
Opera Parall\u00e8le<\/a><\/strong>, San Francisco\u2019s vital source of new and contemporary opera since 2007, has a new senior executive team, organized under and announced by its Founder and Artistic Director Nicole Paiement, who recently added general director to her title. Ruth Nott<\/strong>, creator and director of San Francisco Opera\u2019s (SFO) education and community programs from 2008 to 2019, is to be Opera Parall\u00e8le’s (OP) managing director after having recently served as its interim COO. Her work with the SFO earned a Yale Distinguished Music Education Partnership Award for its focus on collaboration, professional development, and arts integration. Another SFO alumna, Aileen Tat<\/strong>, is to be Opera Parall\u00e8le\u2019s new development director, having been leadership giving officer at SFO as well as a founding member of the company\u2019s Diversity, Equity and Community Committee.<\/div>\n
Opera Australia<\/a><\/strong> (OA) has named a new CEO, the first woman to occupy the job, and a highly credentialed one at that. Fiona Allan<\/strong>, born in Australia but living in the U.K. since 2004 when she was appointed artistic director of the Wales Millennium Center, will move into the top OA executive job at the end of 2021. She succeeds Rory Jeffes, who announced in February that he would step down. He\u2019ll remain CEO until Allan\u2019s arrival.<\/div>\n
London native Suzy Klein<\/strong>, a veteran of the BBC<\/a><\/strong> for over two decades, is to become the broadcaster\u2019s head of Arts and Classical Music in October. Her position has been newly created to ensure that arts and classical music commissioning is fully integrated into BBC content. Klein graduated with first-class honors in Music from the University of Oxford in 1996, and received a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism from City University London. After beginning her career as a presenter on radio and TV with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, she returned to the U.K. and began at the BBC, first at Radio 4 before moving to television as a director and producer.<\/div>\n
The 92nd Street Y<\/a><\/strong> has appointed a successor to Hanna Arie-Gaifman, who announced in January that she would step down after 21 years as director of the Tisch Center for the Arts. The new candidate, Amy Lam<\/strong>, will hold a slightly different title: Vice President of Tisch Music. Perhaps that is to better describe her remit, which, like many these days, stretches beyond classical music on both sides of the footlights and emphasizes diversity. Lam was most recently artistic director of Boston\u2019s multi-discipline Celebrity Series, where for 25 years she booked some 60 events annually, from classical music to jazz, pop, and world music. She is also credited with expanding the programming to include theater, lectures, and multi-discipline performances. She starts at the Y in November. Arie-Gaifman, meanwhile, takes the title of director emerita and will oversee a new classical music festival scheduled for summer 2022.<\/div>\n
Bill Chandler<\/strong>, who started his career as a violinist in the Houston Symphony after earning his master\u2019s degree from Rice University, is to be the new chief executive of the BBC Concert Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. He succeeds Andrew Connolly, who stepped down after 20 years in the post last December. Chandler arrives with 30 years working, in one capacity or another, in orchestras. Most recently, he was director of concerts and engagement for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO), an organization with which has been affiliated for over 26 years, the first 20 of which he served as associate leader (akin to associate concertmaster).<\/div>\n
After a year as associate artistic director of the Public Theater, Shanta Thake<\/strong> is to take the top artistic position at Lincoln Center<\/a><\/strong>, overseeing its various series and festivals. The position has been vacant since Jane Moss departed in 2020. In its announcement however, Lincoln Center emphasizes her title, \u201cChief Artistic Officer,\u201d as a new one, in alignment with the organization\u2019s official \u201cCommitment to Change,\u201d which declares \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d and its plan to \u201cchange the status quo.\u201d Thake starts September 1. Prior to her current post, she was senior director of artistic programs at the Public Theater and director of Joe’s Pub, from 2007. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in theater from Indiana University at Bloomington.<\/div>\n
Seattle Chamber Music Society<\/a><\/strong> has named John Holloway<\/strong> its new executive director, effective September 6. Holloway has served as managing director of the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival in Greenville, NC, since 2014. In addition to greatly expanding both its season and its supporting budget, he created and developed Winter Workshop.<\/div>\n
Ocean County College has selected Shannon Mayers<\/strong> as executive and artistic director of the Jay and Linda Grunin Center for Arts (Grunin Center), following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on July 12, 2021. Ms. Mayers\u2019s career spans more than 25 years in the arts, including extensive management and curatorial experience in both professional and academic settings. Most recently, she served as executive director at Keene State College\u2019s Redfern Arts Center, where she commissioned 13 projects, presenting many regional and world premieres.<\/div>\n
Stages Houston<\/a><\/strong> has selected Katie Maltais<\/strong> as managing director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on August 1, 2021. A veteran performing arts executive, Ms. Maltais most recently served as managing director at Curious Theatre Company in Denver, CO. In this role, she earned an industry reputation for forging rapid growth and instigating institutional change, specifically in areas of patron loyalty and community building. Ms. Maltais also created The Loyalty Target, a new model for arts administration that has been adopted by arts organizations in both the United States and United Kingdom.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Delilah Norris<\/strong> has joined the firm\u2019s Executive Search practice area as vice president. Based in ACG\u2019s Chicago and Dallas locations, she brings nearly 30 years of comprehensive management, leadership, and innovative human resources experience spanning the arts and culture, nonprofit, private, and K-12 public education sectors. Her areas of expertise include the full complement of the employee life cycle, employee relations, conflict resolution, mediation, change management, employee benefits, and employee coaching, as well as belonging, inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility (BIDEA) strategy and initiatives.<\/div>\n
\n

July 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
With the August 6 arrival of Early Music America Executive Director Karin Brookes<\/strong> to succeed Benjamin Sosland, now at the New England Conservatory, Juilliard<\/a><\/strong> has a new head of its Historical Performance Program. It also has a new Music Division Director, a new Prep School Dean, a new Provost, and quite a number of open positions. Brookes arrives after four years at the helm of Early Music America. Prior to EMA, Brookes was with Early Music Seattle, where she served as director of development; before that she worked with Northwest Boychoir and Pacific MusicWorks.<\/div>\n
The Cleveland Institute of Music<\/a><\/strong> has named Scott Harrison<\/strong> executive VP and provost\u2014a new position at CIM. Harrison is a familiar name among executives in orchestra circles, including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and, most recently, the Louisiana Philharmonic, where he was interim ED. He starts his CIM job in August. Harrison\u2019s portfolio includes overseeing academic and student affairs, pre-college programs, recruitment, and artistic programming for the Cleveland community.<\/div>\n
Emmanuel Hondr\u00e9<\/strong> is to be the next general director of the Op\u00e9ra National de Bordeaux<\/a><\/strong>, effective as of August 2022 and succeeding Marc Minkowski as his term expires. Hondr\u00e9 has been director of the Concerts and Shows department of the Philharmonie de Paris since 2014, where he is responsible for an annual season of 500 concerts. He is also a lecturer and gives master classes on music management and cultural politics at schools ranging from the National Conservatory of Music of Paris to the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory of Saint Petersburg and the Shanghai School of Art and Culture.<\/div>\n
Portland Opera<\/a><\/strong> has announced that Priti Gandhi<\/strong> will be the company\u2019s new artistic director. Gandhi arrives from Minnesota Opera where she was chief artistic officer. Her responsibilities will overlap with those of PO\u2019s former Director of Artistic Operations Clare Burovac, who left the Oregon-based company for New Orleans Opera in September 2020.<\/div>\n
The American Pianists Association<\/a><\/strong> (APA) has named Peter Mraz<\/strong>, former VP of the Arts Consulting Group (ACG), to succeed Dr. Joel Harrison, who announced last September that he would step down in June of 2021. He starts August 1. Harrison will stay on as a consultant as Mraz adjusts to the job. Mraz, 44, is highly credentialed, having earned a diploma in piano performance from Kosice Conservatory in his native Slovakia (and winning two piano competitions), a business degree at the City University of Seattle, and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from Harvard\u2019s John F. Kennedy School.<\/div>\n
Mena Mark Hanna<\/strong> is to be general director of the Spoleto Festival<\/a><\/strong> as of next October, succeeding Nigel Redden, who announced last fall that he would step down after 35 years in the job. Hanna, the son of Egyptian immigrants, is the founding dean and professor of musicology and composition at Daniel Barenboim\u2019s Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin. Prior to starting in that position, in 2014, he spent three years with the Houston Grand Opera and was a lecturer at the Shepard School of Music at Rice University. In an earlier position, he served as assistant to David Foster, President and CEO of Opus3 Artists.<\/div>\n
The Dayton (OH) Performing Arts Alliance<\/a><\/strong> (DPAA), formed from the 2012 merger of the Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Ballet, and Dayton Opera, has a new president and CEO in Patrick J. Nugent<\/strong>. He succeeds interim CEO Patricia McDonald, who took over in February 2020 when longtime CEO Paul Helfrich left to become executive director of the Orlando (FL) Philharmonic.<\/div>\n
Marc Thayer<\/strong> is leaving his post as executive director of Symphony New Hampshire, and of the Monteux School and Music Festival, to be CEO of the Elgin (IL) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>, a professional ensemble founded in 1950 with a budget of about $2.2 million. He succeeds Erik Malmquist, in the job 18 months before leaving to become casting director for the 2021-22 season at Munich\u2019s Bayerische Staatsoper. Thayer, a violinist, has led New Hampshire five years, and before that worked with the St. Louis and New World symphonies. He holds a Master\u2019s Degree in violin performance from the Eastman School.<\/div>\n
Nicole Belmont<\/strong>, a media strategist, ensemble soprano singer, and co-founder of New York group Choral Chameleon, is to be the new executive director of the Phoenix (AZ) Chorale<\/a><\/strong>, a 28-voice professional ensemble. She succeeds Jen Rogers who left in January after 15 years.<\/div>\n
Performance Santa Fe<\/a><\/strong>, a presenter of high-profile classical music artists, along with dance and other disciplines, has named Amy Iwano<\/strong> as its executive director. She steps into the new role in September, succeeding Chad Hilligus, who left last month after two years to become CEO at The Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto, CA. Iwano is the executive director of the University of Chicago Presents and is credited with expanding the 77-year-old series beyond classical music to include jazz and world music, artist residencies, and multidisciplinary festivals. Prior to that she was executive director of the Chicago Chamber Musicians and of the Japan America Symphony of Los Angeles, which she took on its first concert tour to Japan.<\/div>\n
Kevin Bitterman<\/strong>, director of institutional advancement and partnerships at New York\u2019s Theater Communications Group (TCI, is to be next executive director of the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts<\/a><\/strong>, effective August 16 and succeeding Corey Madden, who exited one year ago. The privately funded Institute is designed to link University of North Carolina School of the Arts and its students and faculty to the local community, and vice versa, providing material and financial resources toward artistic innovation, and in turn strengthening the creative economy in North Carolina and the Southeast.<\/div>\n
San Francisco Ballet<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has selected Jennie Scholick<\/strong> as director of education and training, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on May 10, 2021. Ms. Scholick\u2019s career has spanned arts management, scholarship, and teaching, both in higher education and performing arts organizations. She has held various roles at SF Ballet since joining the organization in 2017, including associate director of audience engagement, associate director of audience development, and, most recently, interim director of education and training. While at SF Ballet, Ms. Scholick launched and curated the organization\u2019s public programming, adult education, and audience development initiatives.<\/div>\n
Meadowmount School of Music<\/a><\/strong> announced the appointment of Mark Hayman<\/strong> as executive director. Mark Hayman is a musician and seasoned arts executive with over 30 years of experience in the music world focused on emerging artists. As former executive director of the renowned nonprofit artist management Young Concert Artists, he developed and promoted the careers of extraordinary young musicians for decades alongside founder Susan Wadsworth.<\/div>\n
The Kalamazoo Civic Theatre<\/a><\/strong> has selected Laura Zervic<\/strong> as executive director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on July 1, 2021. Ms. Zervic has practiced marketing and advertising law for more than 20 years for such companies as Chobani, Kellogg Company, two prestigious law firms in Chicago, and BISSELL Homecare, Inc. In addition to her work as an attorney, she has remained highly engaged with and dedicated to her community and to the arts, serving as a trustee and treasurer of the Gull Lake Community Schools Board of Education and president of the Gull Lake Community Schools Fine Arts Foundation, among other public service distinctions.<\/div>\n
Formerly American Traditions Vocal Collection<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s artistic director, Mikki Sodergren<\/strong> will now serve as both executive and artistic director. Prior to and during her tenure with the ATVCollection, Ms. Sodergren has continued her career as a sought-after vocal soloist in both classical and popular music fields. She has sung with the Jacksonville Symphony, the Savannah Philharmonic, and the Washington Bach Consort, among others.<\/div>\n
Global Arts Live<\/a><\/strong> has selected Connie C. Chin<\/strong> as executive director following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on July 26, 2021. Ms. Chin will succeed founder and current Executive Director Maure Aronson, who will transition to director of artistic programs in a new co-leadership structure. For the past five years, Ms. Chin served as president of the Norman B.\u202fLeventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, where she strengthened the organization\u2019s financial position, fundraising, partnerships, curatorial work, and orientation to social and racial justice goals.<\/div>\n
Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha\u2019 Tate<\/strong> has been named a Cultural Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs<\/a><\/strong>. Tate, whose appointment is part of American Music Abroad’s 2021-22 season, will deliver performances, workshops, lectures, and more in a month long virtual tour. He is a CMA-commissioned composer.<\/div>\n
The Broadway League<\/a><\/strong> has selected Gennean Scott<\/strong> as director of equity, diversity, and inclusion, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on July 6, 2021. For the past 20 years, Ms. Scott has been committed to fostering inclusion and equity by implementing various racial and social justice initiatives in community organizations and professionally in the nonprofit and education sectors. Ms. Scott most recently served as vice president of human capital and inclusion at Omaha Performing Arts, where she led and created equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives and programs.<\/div>\n
\n

June 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Stefano Pace<\/strong>, current superintendent of the Fondazione Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi, in Trieste, is to be the new general and artistic director for the Royal Opera of Wallonia-Li\u00e8ge<\/a><\/strong> as of October 2021. He succeeds the late Stefano Mazzonis di Pralafera, who died unexpectedly last February. Li\u00e8ge will begin his five-year term in October 2021. Applicants to the job were required to have at least 10 years of experience in classical music in management and \/ or artistic management.<\/div>\n
Yuval Sharon, founder and artistic director of The Industry<\/a><\/strong> and recent artistic director of the Michigan Opera Theater, is getting some help. Sonic artist Ash Fure<\/strong> and interdisciplinary artist Malik Gaines<\/strong> are joining The Industry as co-equal artistic directors for an initial term of three years. Fure, an associate professor of music at Dartmouth College and 2016 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in music, utilizes sonic art to create immersive listening experiences in unusual places. Gaines, for 20 years a Los Angelino and now an associate professor of performance studies at New York University\u2019s Tisch School of the Arts, co-founded the musical performance art group My Barbarian in 2000.<\/div>\n
Louisa Proske<\/strong>, co-founder and co-artistic director of Heartbeat Opera<\/a><\/strong>, will step down to become associate artistic director of Oper Halle; she will, at the same time stay connected to the bold, eight-year-old New York based company with the title of resident director. As she exits, her co-founder and co-artistic director Ethan Heard<\/strong> moves up to become the sole artistic director. At the same time, Black activist and bass-baritone Derrell Acon<\/strong> has been appointed associate director, starting July 1; he\u2019ll remain chief impact officer at Long Beach Opera, which has simultaneously promoted him as its own associate director.<\/div>\n
The Las Vegas Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> has a new executive director, Anne Berquist<\/strong>, as of May 3, coming to the city from Grand Rapids, MI, where she served for the last year as a consultant and, prior to that, COO to a startup called Aid the Neway International_SignArt. At one time she was executive director of Opera Grand Rapids and president & CEO of Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts.<\/div>\n
The World Federation of International Music Competitions<\/a><\/strong> (WFIMC) has elected a new president in Peter Paul Kainrath<\/strong>, artistic director of the Ferrucio Busoni Piano Competition and CEO of Klangforum Wien. He will serve a three-year term, succeeding Didier Schnohrk of the Geneva Competition, who served two terms in the job.<\/div>\n
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts<\/a><\/strong> (UNCSA), located in Winston-Salem\u2014one of UNC\u2019s 17 statewide campuses\u2014is undergoing major changes, as witnessed by the arrival of new deans at three of its five genre-specific schools. Saxton Rose<\/strong> will continue to oversee all of the School of Music operations, performances, and its 265 students, 47 faculty and 11 staff members. UNCSA named dancer, choreographer, and educator Endalyn Taylor<\/strong> as the new dean of the School of Dance effective August 1. She arrives after six years at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where she teaches ballet and musical theater as an associate professor. Independent filmmaker and educator Deborah LaVine<\/strong> will take over in July as dean of the School of Filmmaking, which in 2020 was ranked among the Top 10 film schools in the country. She arrives from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where she was program director of the graduate-level film directing program.<\/div>\n
The Louisiana Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, which self-defines as \u201cthe only full-time collaboratively governed and operated orchestra in the United States,\u201d has named Philadelphia native Anwar Nasir<\/strong> to be its next executive director. Nasir is the current chief revenue & advancement officer for the Omaha Symphony, where he has worked for two years. The orchestra, whose pre-pandemic budget was $5.5 million, will return to its annual, 36-week schedule of live performances next October. Normally, it employs 67 musicians and has an administrative staff of 17. Carlos Miguel Prieto is its music director.<\/div>\n
Mhiran Faraday<\/strong> is the new executive director of the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong>. She comes to the position after three years as manager of the Banff International Chamber Music Competition (BISQC). In addition to the Banff competition, Faraday served as program director for the Center\u2019s music department, operations director for Symphony Nova Scotia, and executive director for Debut Atlantic. She holds a BA in Technical Theatre\/Theatre Design and Technology from Dalhousie University.<\/div>\n
Carlos Miguel Prieto<\/strong>, Musical America\u2019s 2019 Conductor of the Year, is to serve as artistic advisor to the North Carolina Symphony<\/a><\/strong> (NCS) as it continues its search for a successor to Welshman Grant Llewellyn, who exited in spring of 2020 after 16 seasons. The 58-year-old Llewellyn now holds the title of music director laureate; he is the music director of Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne in France.<\/div>\n
Terell M. Johnson<\/strong>, former community engagement director for the New World Symphony, is to be the next executive director of the Chicago Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, a three-decade-old ensemble that has gone through various iterations since its founding.<\/div>\n
The Winnipeg (CA) Symphony<\/a><\/strong> also has a new executive director. Angela Birdsell<\/strong> is described as an arts management consultant, with Ottawa Live Arts Community, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and the Saint John Theater Company among her clients. She succeeds Trudy Schroeder, in the job for 13 seasons.<\/div>\n
Cristina Rocca<\/strong> is to return to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> as VP for artistic planning, a post she vacated in October of 2020 after five years to become artistic director of the London Philharmonic. She starts in Chicago on June 28, occupying the only endowed administrative post at the CSO, the Mary L. Gray Chair, reporting to CEO Jeff Alexander, and overseeing the artistic administration staff of eight. She will, once again, work with Music Director Riccardo Muti and be responsible for all programming, including jazz, world, the Symphony Center Presents lineup, and the MusicNOW contemporary series.<\/div>\n
Fund for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> (The Fund) has selected Andr\u00e9 Kimo Stone Guess<\/strong> as president & CEO, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on June 30, 2021. A native Louisvillian, Mr. Guess brings more than 20 years of experience in the arts sector, working with arts organizations and individual artists. For more than 14 years, he has also owned and operated management consulting firm, GuessWorks, Inc. During that time, he managed the careers of world-class artists and provided management, consulting, and producing services to arts organizations and nonprofits.<\/div>\n
Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival<\/a><\/strong> has named Paul Schwendener<\/strong> as its new executive director, effective June 1. He succeeds Elaine Lipton, who is retiring after 15 years in the position. Lipton will continue as executive director emeritus through August.<\/div>\n
The International Festival of Arts & Ideas<\/a><\/strong> (Festival) has selected Roslyn (Roz) Gilhuly<\/strong> as director of development, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on February 8, 2021. Ms. Gilhuly brings more than 25 years of experience in fundraising, donor stewardship, marketing and communications, public relations, and corporate relationship building to her new role at the Festival. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, External Relations at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, where she oversaw all marketing, development, and membership operations.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG), announced that Nagham Wehbe<\/strong> has joined the firm as associate vice president to support all of ACG\u2019s practice areas with market research, data analysis, financial modeling, survey and interview design, and translation of data for cultural organizations. Based in Los Angeles, she began her tenure on June 1, 2021. As a researcher and strategist, she has utilized qualitative and quantitative data (primary and digital) to identify trends and deliver recommendations to clients. Her areas of expertise include audience engagement trends, brand visibility, and program competitiveness.<\/div>\n
Arts Consulting Group<\/a><\/strong> (ACG) announced that Calida N. Jones<\/strong> has joined the firm as vice president to expand the planning and capacity building areas of the firm. Based in Washington, DC, Ms. Jones brings more than 20 years of experience in planning, workshop and curriculum development, project management, and advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and access initiatives. Passionate about intentional and purposeful mentoring and community engagement, her personal mission is to ensure that those with limited resources have access to arts opportunities and activities. She is also committed to correlating the art of teaching to life skills and community building.<\/div>\n
\n

May 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Katie McGuinness<\/strong> will exit her post as director of artistic planning at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra to join the Dallas Symphony<\/a><\/strong> as VP of artistic operations, as of the 2021-22 season. Overseeing a department of 10, she\u2019ll report directly to DSO President and CEO Kim Noltemy, who announced the appointment jointly with Music Director Fabio Luisi. In her new job she\u2019ll be responsible for all classical and pops programming, with, respectively, Luisi and Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik. A professionally trained pianist who counts John O\u2019Conor among her primary teachers, she spent two summers in administration at the Aspen Music Festival and School while working on her doctorate in piano performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Ireland.<\/div>\n
Larisa Gelman<\/strong>, onetime director of the 92nd Street Y\u2019s Center for Education Outreach, among other nonprofit leadership positions, is the new executive director of Midori & Friends<\/a><\/strong>. She succeeds Suzanne Wilson, who left in 2019 after seven years in the job and is now president and CEO of the Phoenix Symphony. Midori & Friends is heading into its 30th anniversary of working with New York City public schools to provide music education and enrichment to students in grades K-12. By its own estimation, it has reached over 300,000 students.<\/div>\n
Joshua Barone<\/strong>, a senior staff editor at the New York Times<\/i><\/a><\/strong>, has been given the title of assistant performing arts editor, a boost to the culture department. Barone, who writes frequently about classical music, holds degrees in journalism and French literature from the University of Missouri. He joined the Times<\/i> in 2013 after a year at the Financial Times<\/i> and a variety of internships, including the Wall Street Journal<\/i>, Esquire<\/i> magazine, and Standard and Poor\u2019s. Other recent shifts in Times<\/i> culture include the arrivals in New York of Javier C. Hern\u00e1ndez<\/strong>, 36, to cover classical music and dance, with a background in political reporting, and the move in Los Angeles of that town\u2019s longtime Bureau Chief Adam Nagourney<\/strong>, 66, to focus on West Coast arts, in particular California\u2019s. Both were necessitated by Michael Cooper\u2019s promotion from arts reporter to deputy culture chief.<\/div>\n
Amanda Gookin<\/strong> is to be the next executive director of Music at the Anthology<\/a><\/strong>, or MATA, which supports emerging composers through commissioning, performing, and funding their work. Founded by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa in 1996 at a time when getting a hearing for new work was difficult, MATA has since become, by its own account, \u201cthe world\u2019s foremost sought-after performance opportunity for young and emerging composers.\u201d Gookin, a cellist, succeeds Loren Loiacono on June 5.<\/div>\n
Moving from new music to vintage repertoire, San Francisco\u2019s Merola Opera Program<\/a><\/strong> has a new director of advancement as of June 1. Nancy E. Petrisko, director of development at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis, takes up the post as Merola moves into a new generation of leadership under Carrie-Ann Matheson, who succeeded Sheri Greenawald as artistic director last January. Petrisko is a former operations manager at San Francisco Opera and has worked with many opera companies and presenters across her career in a range of capacities. She has also taught arts-management courses at the university level and been an independent fund-raising consultant for a number of non-profit arts organizations.<\/div>\n
The Juilliard School<\/a><\/strong> has named a top Curtis Institute academic as dean and director of its music division. David Serkin Ludwig<\/strong>\u2014whose uncle was Peter Serkin and whose grandfather, pianist Rudolf Serkin, was director of Curtis from 1968-1976\u2014is to take the new job on June 1. He will be responsible for all music performance and academic training in his new position; his three focuses, according to the school are \u201cexcellence, creativity, and inclusiveness.\u201d<\/div>\n
Interlochen Center for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> has selected Enrique M\u00e1rquez<\/strong> as director of music, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He will begin his tenure on June 1, 2021. Mr. M\u00e1rquez most recently served as manager of events for the Harvard University Department of Music. In this role, he oversaw Music Department concerts and events and served as the administrator of the Fromm Music Foundation, which has commissioned more than 400 new compositions. Mr. M\u00e1rquez actively collaborated with music institutions, including Tanglewood, the American Composers Orchestra, the American Academy in Rome, and Sony Classical.<\/div>\n
Interlochen Center for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> has also named trumpeter Josh Lawrence<\/strong> as its new director of jazz studies, effective August 9. Lawrence, who received a CMA 2017 New Jazz Works grant, succeeds Bill Spears, who is retiring after 34 years at the Center.<\/div>\n
April 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Olivier Mantei<\/strong>, managing director of the Op\u00e9ra-Comique, is to be the next director of the Cit\u00e9 de la Musique\/Philharmonie de Paris<\/a><\/strong>. He starts on November 1, succeeding Laurent Bayle, in the job since 2015. His term, for five years, was announced on April 28 by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and Minister of Culture Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin. In his new role, Mantei will oversee all artistic matters for the Cit\u00e9 de la Musique\/Philharmonie, as well as make it \u201caccessible and exemplary in terms of inclusion\u201d and diversity of musical genres and origins.<\/div>\n
Enrique M\u00e1rquez<\/strong>, who produces and books events for Harvard University\u2019s Department of Music and administers the Fromm Music Foundation, has been appointed director of music by Interlochen Center for the Arts<\/a><\/strong>. M\u00e1rquez will oversee music programming, pedagogy, and curricula for Interlochen Arts Academy, Camp, College of Creative Arts, and Interlochen Online. He starts June 1 and reports to Vice Provost of Academic and Artistic Education Jason Hubbard; he\u2019ll also collaborate with Christian Macelaru, artistic director and principal conductor of Interlochen\u2019s World Youth Symphony Orchestra, a summer program.<\/div>\n
Violist Geraldine Walther<\/strong>, who exited the Tak\u00e1cs Quartet in 2019 after a 15-year run, has been appointed interim director of chamber music at the Colburn School<\/a><\/strong> in Los Angeles. She starts next fall and her position is expected to become permanent thereafter.<\/div>\n
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music<\/a><\/strong> has named Professor Farzad Amoozegar<\/strong> as the new director of the Iranian Music Program, an appointment made as part of the school\u2019s partnership with the Farhang Foundation, which promotes Iranian art and culture in the community. The Foundation supports much of the program\u2019s activity, which includes connecting UCLA students to international Iranian music and musicians.<\/div>\n
Renae Williams Niles<\/strong>, chairman of the board of APAP (Association of Performing Arts Professionals), best known for her work in arts education and dance, will oversee all programming at the Los Angeles Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, including classical. Her newly created position, which she assumes on June 7, is chief content and engagement officer, reporting directly to CEO Chad Smith.<\/div>\n
Alison Friedman<\/strong>, current artistic director of performing arts for Hong Kong\u2019s West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, is returning Stateside for reasons personal and political; she has been hired as executive and artistic director of Carolina Performing Arts at UNC-Chapel Hill<\/a><\/strong>. She starts in October, filling the post vacated in 2019 by Emil Kang, now at the Andrew Mellon Foundation.<\/div>\n
Oper K\u00f6ln<\/a><\/strong> has hired Dutch cultural manager Hein Mulders<\/strong>, onetime artistic director of the Nederlandse Opera, current intendant of the Aalto-Musiktheater in Essen (Germany), as its new artistic director, effective in 2022-23.<\/div>\n
Elena Dubinets<\/strong>, recent chief artistic officer of the Atlanta Symphony, onetime Musical America Top 30 Mover and Shaper, highly regarded musicologist, author, and lecturer, is to be the London Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s artistic director, as of next September. Prior to Atlanta, the Russian-born Dubinets was VP of artistic planning and creative projects for the Seattle Symphony. Over her 15-year tenure, she is credited with widening the orchestra\u2019s repertoire, especially through contemporary work and commissions, and launching its in-house label, which garnered a number of Grammy Awards.<\/div>\n
Marc Baylin<\/strong>, who announced his decision to wind down Baylin Artists Management last year just one month before the pandemic struck, has been hired as artistic advisor and programming consultant by the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts<\/a><\/strong>. The multi-discipline presenter, based at the University of Pennsylvania, is approaching its 50th-anniversary season. It has been active digitally during the shutdown and is now preparing for its next, live moves.<\/div>\n
Patrick Castillo<\/strong>, who describes himself as \u201ca composer, performer, writer, and educator,\u201d has been hired by the New York Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong> as VP of artistic planning. He has been consulting for the orchestra under his predecessor, Isaac Thompson, who was promoted to managing director in December as one of two key executives under President and CEO Deborah Borda.<\/div>\n
The City of Aspen has named Lisa Rigsby Peterson<\/strong> as the executive director of the Wheeler Opera House<\/a><\/strong>, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). She began her tenure on March 1, 2021. A long-time Colorado resident, Ms. Rigsby Peterson most recently served as the founding executive director of the municipally owned Lone Tree Arts Center. During her decade-long tenure, she brought high-profile performers to Lone Tree, presenting up to 80 performances annually. Her innovative approach to strategic artistic partnerships and programs helped identify unmet needs in the community as well as curate signature programs to serve them.<\/div>\n
March 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Bronx Arts Ensemble<\/a><\/strong>, nearing 50 years of bringing performances and teaching artists into Bronx public schools, has named Judith Insell<\/strong> as its executive director. Insell, a professional violist born and raised in the Bronx, was named artistic director in summer 2020. Insell, a onetime Broadway pit musician, was previously director of music at the Harlem School of the Artsts and assistant director of Instrumental Studies at Mannes College of Music, The New School. She is a member of the avant-garde jazz collective Jump Off This Bridge and the Greenwich (CT) Symphony.<\/div>\n
Benjamin Sosland<\/strong>, interim dean and director of the Music Division at the Juilliard School, is to be the next provost and dean of the New England Conservatory<\/a><\/strong>, effective July 5. He succeeds Thomas Novak, a 20-year NEC veteran who holds the title of VP and provost. Sosland will oversee all aspects of NEC\u2019s programs including the College, Preparatory School, and School of Continuing Education.<\/div>\n
Christine Goerke<\/strong>, who led last October\u2019s Twilight: Gods<\/i> in the Michigan Opera Theater<\/a><\/strong> parking garage, has been named associate artistic director for three years as of April 1. \u201c\u2026she will partner with Yuval Sharon to reposition MOT with a new focus for what opera in Detroit will mean,\u201d said MOT President Wayne Brown. Dav\u00f3ne Tines is MOT\u2019s new artist in residence.<\/div>\n
The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (CSO) has named a chief diversity officer, a newly created position reporting directly to the CEO. An Ohio native and Harvard graduate, Harold Brown<\/strong> will oversee CSO diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) both internally and in the community.<\/div>\n
The Manhattan School of Music<\/a><\/strong> (MSM) has selected Dr. Carleen Graham<\/strong> to become the School\u2019s inaugural associate dean and director of vocal arts. A distinguished teaching professor emerita of the State University of New York at Potsdam, Graham is currently director of HGOco, Houston Grand Opera\u2019s program connecting the company to its community. She begins her new position on July 1, 2021.<\/div>\n
David Pratt<\/strong>, executive director of the Savannah Music Festival (SMF) for slightly more the two years, is to be the new CEO and executive director of the Austin (TX) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> (ASO). Pratt is credited with balancing the $3.4 million annual budget at SMF and adding new community programs.<\/div>\n
The Wheeling (WV) Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong> has named Bryan Braunlich<\/strong>, its general manager, to the position of executive director, effective immediately. He succeeds Bruce Wheeler. Braunlich first arrived in 2017 as director of marketing and communications.<\/div>\n
Caramoor<\/a><\/strong> has appointed Edward J. Lewis III<\/strong> to succeed Jeffrey P. Haydon as president & CEO. Lewis, a onetime violist in the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, has been vice chancellor for advancement at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) for six years, a position from which he is credited with \u201csurpassing all annual and campaign fundraising goals.\u201d He\u2019ll start at Caramoor in May, succeeding interim CEO Nina Curley. Kathy Schuman remains VP and artistic director.<\/div>\n
The City of Thousand Oak<\/a><\/strong>s has selected Jonathan Serret<\/strong> as cultural affairs director, following an executive search process led by Arts Consulting Group (ACG). He began his tenure on November 20, 2020. Mr. Serret most recently worked at the Bank of America Performing Arts Center (BAPAC), serving as technical director for 10 years and as deputy cultural affairs director\/general manager since 2017. In addition to providing operational oversight, he implemented the Cultural Affairs Five-Year Strategic Plan and produced the City\u2019s Pop Up Arts and Music Festival.<\/div>\n
February 2021<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
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The Los Angeles-based Colburn School<\/strong><\/a>, which has grown over the last 70 years from a community music school into a major conservatory, has announced that 26-year-old choreographer and former New York City Ballet dancer Silas Farley<\/strong> is to succeed Jenifer Ringer (also a City Ballet alum) as dean of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute (TZDI). Concurrently, Darleen Callaghan, former director of Miami City Ballet School, will succeed James Fayette as associate dean. The changeover occurs in June 2021, with the two incumbents becoming visiting artists.<\/div>\n
James Darrah<\/strong>, artistic director of Omaha\u2019s annual ONE Festival, is to take the same title with Long Beach Opera<\/strong><\/a>, another entity known for bold moves and experimentation. Darrah is well known in new opera circles, having directed the world premieres of Ellen Reid’s Pulitzer Prize-winning opera p r i s m<\/em>, Missy Mazzoli’s Breaking the Waves<\/em> and Proving Up<\/em>, a new production of Philip Glass\u2019s Les enfants terribles<\/em> and the first West Coast performances of Jennifer Higdon\u2019s Cold Mountain<\/em>, among others.<\/div>\n
John Kieser<\/strong> has been enlisted by the classical music streaming service Idagio<\/strong><\/a> as its \u201cdirector of partnerships,\u201d which will help open industry doors for the company and expand its reach beyond the 30,000 registered users it currently claims.<\/div>\n
Gail Samuel<\/strong>, longtime chief overseer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its assorted tentacles, is to be the new president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra<\/a><\/strong>. She succeeds Mark Volpe, with the orchestra for 23 years, every one of which, it would seem, has seen the storied institution grow and prosper, especially at its Tanglewood location.<\/div>\n
David Lomel\u00ed<\/strong>, director of artistic administration for the Dallas Opera, is to be the Santa Fe Opera<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s chief artistic officer as of May 1. The position is newly created, necessitated by the departure of Artistic Director Alexander Neef, now general director of the Paris Opera, and the retirement of Brad Woolbright as director of artistic administration.<\/div>\n
National Endowment for the Arts<\/a><\/strong> appointments for the Biden-Harris Administration include the following:<\/div>\n