Celebrated Orchestra Chief Moves On and Up

Blake-Anthony Johnson, 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 (NOJHF). He exits Chicago, where he also co-chairs the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Advisory Council, on January 1, 2025.

His work with the Sinfonietta has been game-changing. Among the first African American executives to lead a nationally recognized, unionized American orchestra, he is credited with increasing sustained revenue by 200 percent; nearly tripling the operating budget; raising musicians’ base pay by 20 percent; tripling staff size; moving into the downtown Auditorium Theater and becoming its resident orchestra; revitalizing subscriptions; and bringing in new audiences. A highly skilled fundraiser, he has brought in the largest individual and institutional gifts in the Sinfonietta’s history.

Small wonder his laurels include The Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoan of the Year in Classical Music, Crain's Chicago Business’s 40 Under 40, a Black Men in Excellence Award from the Black Professionals Network, and one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of 2022.

Board Chair James Weidner said Johnson had “transformed” the Sinfonietta, citing his “unwavering commitment to equity, innovation, and financial sustainability…. His active presence throughout the national search for his position will ensure a successful transition and that the output and daily work of Chicago Sinfonietta continues without interruption."

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. Marshall, too, leaves a long list of accomplishments, in support of Louisiana musicians. NOJHF is the umbrella organization to the Jazz Fest, Heritage School of Music, Jazz and Heritage Archive, WWOZ radio station, and the Wein Center. While the Sinfonietta has an annual budget of about $3 million, NOJHF’s states its budget at $60 million and its mission to “champion both tradition and innovation, preserving and advancing the cultural legacy of New Orleans and Louisiana through diverse programs, events, and community initiatives."