he Knights Orchestra Announces Leadership Changes

The Knights Orchestra Announces Leadership Changes

The highly esteemed The Knights Orchestra has announced a series of exciting leadership changes as they head into the new year.  

Mela Haklisch, previously Board Chair, has transitioned to Board Chair Emeritus. Paul Sekhri, President and Chief Executive Officer of eGenesis has been elected Board Chair. Graham Parker, President of Decca Records, US at Universal Music Group, has been elected Board Vice Chair. Bridget Mundy, formerly the General Manager of The Knights, has been appointed Executive Director.

Biographies:

Paul Sekhri

Mr. Sekhri joined eGenesis as President and CEO in January 2019.  From February 2015 until December 2018 he served as President and CEO of Lycera Corp. Prior to this, he served as Senior Vice President, Integrated Care for Sanofi from April 2014 through January 2015.  Previously, he served as Group Executive Vice President, Global Business Development and Chief Strategy Officer for Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.  Prior to joining, Teva he spent five years as Operating Partner and Head of the Biotechnology Operating Group at TPG Biotech, the life sciences venture capital arm of TPG Capital.  From 2004-2009, Mr. Sekhri was Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Cerimon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Prior to founding Cerimon, Mr. Sekhri was President and Chief Business Officer of ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Previously, Mr. Sekhri spent four years at Novartis, as Senior Vice President, and Head of Global Search and Evaluation, Business Development and Licensing for Novartis Pharma AG.  Mr. Sekhri also developed the Disease Area Strategy for Novartis, identifying those specific therapeutic areas upon which the company would focus.  His first role at Novartis was as Global Head, Early Commercial Development - a department he established to ensure the differential competitive advantage of Novartis' pipeline.

Mr. Sekhri completed graduate work in Neuroscience at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he also received his BS in Zoology.

Mr. Sekhri has been a Director on more than 30 private and public company Boards, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Veeva Systems Inc., Ipsen S.A., BiomX, Ltd., and Longboard Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Mr. Sekhri is also the Chairman of the Board of Compugen Ltd., and Pharming N.V.

Additionally, classical music has been one of his passions since childhood. An accomplished pianist, he serves on several non-profit Boards including the Board of the Metropolitan Opera. He also served as a Trustee of The English Concert in America and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. Mr. Sekhri also served as a Member of the Board of Trustees of Carnegie Hall from 2010-2012, and recently founded the Life Science Council of Carnegie Hall where is also an active member of their Patrons Council. Since 2012 he has solely supported the bi-annual Ylda Novik Memorial Concerto Competition in memory of his great mentor and pedagogue.

Graham Parker

Mr. Parker is the president of Decca Records, US at Universal Music Group. Decca Records, US is the home for artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Idina Menzel, Lang Lang, Max Richter, and more. Decca Records, US encompasses the US-based labels Decca Gold, established by Parker, and Paragon. It also is the proud partner of European sister labels Decca Records, Decca Classics, Deutsche Grammophon, ECM, and Mercury KX.

Prior to joining Universal, Parker was General Manager of WQXR and The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space and a Senior Vice President of New York Public Radio. During the six years in that role, Parker earned a Peabody Award and implemented ambitious initiatives to serve New York’s thriving classical music scene. During Parker’s tenure, WQXR launched a new national series, Carnegie Hall Live; pioneered critically acclaimed festivals including Beethoven Awareness Month, Month of Mozart, and Bachstock; presented a broad range of live events; oversaw the highly successful WQXR Instrument Drive; and secured WQXR’s role as a leading digital music source with WQXR’s relaunched app, the growth of Q2Music (a channel dedicated to contemporary classical music), and the launch of Operavore, WQXR’s 24/7 opera channel. Prior to WQXR, Parker was Executive Director of the Orpheus Chamber

Orchestra. In his eight years with Orpheus, Parker played a critical role in securing the long term future for this world-class orchestra.

Parker holds a BSc (Hons) from Oxford Brookes University. He started his musical training on flute and piano, eventually taking up conducting when he arrived at college.

Bridget Mundy

Bridget Mundy joined The Knights as General Manager in April 2018 and was promoted to Executive Director in November 2020. In her new role, Ms. Mundy oversees all aspects of operations, administration, and revenue for The Knights, coordinating directly with the orchestra’s staff, board, musicians, and partner institutions to advance all aspects of the group’s mission: to transform the orchestral experience and eliminate barriers between audience and music.

Since joining the orchestra, Ms. Mundy has organized Knights performances at Naumburg, Caramoor, Tanglewood, and Ravinia, including its fully-staged production of Leonard Bernstein’s opera Candide; overseen the group’s participation in collaborative productions including Glass Handel with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and The Head and the Load with multimedia artist William Kentridge; led partnership activities with BRIC in Brooklyn and with the 92nd Street Y; and helped to plan the orchestra’s February 2019 European tour comprising fifteen concerts across Germany, Poland, Austria and Switzerland.

Prior to joining The Knights, Ms. Mundy served as the first Executive Director of A Far Cry, a string ensemble in Boston, and spent five years in various fundraising positions with The Cleveland Orchestra. Ms. Mundy earned a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from the University of Akron and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from The Ohio State University.

The Knights Orchestra

The Knights are a collective of adventurous musicians, dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. They evolved from late-night chamber music reading parties with friends at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. The Jacobsen brothers serve as artistic directors of The Knights, with Eric Jacobsen as conductor. The Knights are committed to creating unusual and adventurous partnerships across disciplines; they perform in traditional concert halls as well as parks, plazas, and bars, all in an effort to reach listeners of all backgrounds and invite them into their music-making.