Cincinnati Symphony Names DEI Chief

In an appointment that aligns with many other classical music organizations’ in the last year, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has named a chief diversity officer, a newly created position reporting directly to the CEO.  

An Ohio native and Harvard graduate, Harold Brown will oversee CSO diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) both internally and in the community. Having spent his career working within organizations to promote opportunities for underserved populations, he was mostly recently VP for strategy and policy at Interact for Health. He has also worked at the Greater Cincinnati Foundation, KnowledgeWorks, and Miami University.

Rob McDonald, CSO Board Chair, said that Brown “will help… to achieve our strategic plan’s overarching DE&I goal: ‘To reflect our community and the world at every level—on stage, behind the scenes, and in neighborhoods throughout the region.’”

Among many other recent DEI appointments: the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Institute, the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and others who previously have had only white senior leadership.