Rising Stars in...Orchestra Leadership

Mieko Di Sano
Executive Director, Symphony Orchestra Augusta

Since Mieko Di Sano became executive director of Symphony Orchestra Augusta in August, she has plunged into a project that will give the organization its first home in its 57-year history. The orchestra, with a $1.3 million budget, recently took possession of Miller Theater, an abandoned art deco movie theater downtown, and embarked on a $23 million campaign to restore it and build an endowment. Nearly half of the funds have been raised, but Di Sano still has a large task ahead—from finalizing construction designs to overseeing the establishment of a presenting arm that will bring in touring artists. The theater is slated to open in 2014.

Di Sano has done a lot in a short period of time. She recently completed a year as a fellow with theDeVos Institute of Arts Management at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Prior to that she served as the orchestra manager of the Aspen Music Festival and before that as artistic administrator for the Young Musicians Foundation in Los Angeles. Originally from San  Jose, Di Sano holds a BM from the University of Michigan and both an MA and DMA from the University of Southern California in French Horn Performance.

An executive recruiter told Di Sano about the SOA job and the Miller Theater project. “That really intrigued me,” she said. “It also sent up some red flags: ‘Okay, how do you support having a concert hall?’” But, she added, “They’ve really crossed their t’s and dotted their i’s.” Like many of her colleagues, Di Sano is keenly aware of the importance of connecting the orchestra to its environs. “I try to go into every store in downtown and just introduce myself and talk to people and hear about what they want in their community,” said Di Sano. “How can we make quality of life better here in town through the symphony? How can we be economic drivers at a time when the economy is really struggling? How can we help the city to attract businesses from outside to move their headquarters here? I think about that every day.”

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