Black Film Festival, and a lot of additional events that support the mission of the symphony. New World Symphony is one of the most innovative institutions in the US, disrupting our industry, and it’s inspired my entire career since then.
additional events that support the mission of the symphony. New World Symphony is one of the most innovative institutions in the US, disrupting our industry, and it’s inspired my entire career since then.
What challenges did you face along the way, and how did they help shape your approach to leadership and community engagement in the arts?
Breaking into an industry that has less than 2% Black leadership (and less than 3% Black classical musicians) always has challenges. To this day, I don’t wear black clothes – every time I do I am addressed as a security guard.
What drew you to the Chicago Philharmonic Society specifically, and how did you first get involved with this orchestra?
In 2021, I got a lovely letter
from one of the Chicago Philharmonic Board Directors, Lori Ashikawa, who urged me to apply for the open position of Executive Director. At that time I was in executive leadership training and ready to take that next step in my career.
How have you implemented your vision into The Chicago Philharmonic Society? And
how has the Society changed since taking on the role of Executive Director?
My vision has been to implement the innovation I saw at New World Symphony to the Philharmonic and Chicago generally. The Chicago Philharmonic has always done excellent work - now we are working to amplify our strong history and very bright future.
How do you balance tradition and innovation within the Philharmonic’s programming
to both honor classical music
and appeal to new, diverse audiences?
Our musicians represent hundreds of combined years of expertise, craftsmanship, and talent. My job is to pair these extraordinary Chicago Philharmonic musicians with some of the greatest artists of our time, in every genre.
For our upcoming concert “An Evening with Sleeping At Last”, we’re pairing completely new orchestrations of the singer/songwriter’s, music with the ultra-traditional Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Tchaikovsky, and another World Premiere by our Composer in Residence Jonathan Bingham.
With the ever-evolving landscape of the music industry, what role do you believe orchestral music plays today, especially in Chicago?
After nearly 20 years working in the world of symphonic music, I truly believe that a live orchestra concert is a powerful medium. By bringing dozens (or even hundreds!) of musicians on stage and thousands of audience members together, we can share moments of catharsis, hope, comfort, peace, and connection. An orchestra concert is an extraordinary, singular experience, but we experience it collectively - and this will always be relevant.