The Houston Symphony, one of the finest and most dynamic symphony orchestras in the United States, invites applications and nominations for the position of Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. The position is available in late 2024.
John Mangum, who has served in this position since 2018, has recently been appointed General Director, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Houston Symphony has appointed a Search Committee to identify the Orchestra’s next Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. The Search Committee has engaged the Catherine French Group to assist with an international search.
The Search Committee will begin to review credentials in September 2024. To request the complete position specifications, including a summary of the 2030 Strategic Plan, please write to Christopher Wingert at cwingert@catherinefrenchgroup.com.
The Opportunity
The next Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Symphony will have the opportunity to provide the leadership, inspiration, and strategic management to enable the Orchestra to realize its vision, fulfill its mission, and achieve success with the programs and initiatives articulated in the four pillars of the newly adopted strategic plan: to firmly establish the Houston Symphony as a world-class orchestra by engaging and retaining top talent; to spread the reputation of the Orchestra through touring and recording; to build a resilient financial foundation through a focus on growing the endowment; and to deepen the Orchestra’s impact in the community to ensure that more people are able to experience the transformative power of music.
As the third person to hold the Margaret Alkek Williams Executive Director/CEO Chair, the Executive Director/CEO will join a fully engaged orchestra, a dedicated staff and Board, and a dynamic Music Director in an organization with a strong culture of mutual respect and collaboration. The next Executive Director/CEO will have the opportunity to call on their individual and collective talents, dedication, and enthusiasm and work with them to realize a shared vision. Together they will create a new era of musical excellence and community engagement with ambitious programming that will continue to inspire and enrich the lives of all who experience the Houston Symphony.
The Executive Director/CEO will come to Houston at a time of extraordinary possibilities for the community. Houston is the fourth largest and most diverse city in America – a city that greatly values the arts, a city that exemplifies a deep-rooted tradition of philanthropy, and a city that supports and treasures its landmark institutions. The Executive Director/CEO will have the opportunity to ensure that the Houston Symphony is an integral part of the city’s growth, vibrancy, and success, and serves as artistic ambassador for Houston to the nation and the world.
The Houston Symphony is one of the oldest and most revered performing arts organizations in Texas, holding its inaugural concert at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Houston on June 21, 1913. As it now moves into its second century, the Houston Symphony continues to inspire and engage a large and diverse audience in Houston and beyond through exceptional musical programs and performances that create enduring impact in the Houston community. The Orchestra presents more than 130 concerts annually, reaching an audience of nearly a half million with its classical and pops concert series, family concerts, summer concerts, holiday celebrations, and special events. In addition, musicians of the Orchestra and Community-Embedded-Musicians (CEMs) offer more than 600 performances each in schools, community centers, hospitals, and churches, reaching more than 160,000 people in Greater Houston.
Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts is home to the Houston Symphony and a beloved landmark to generations of Houston concertgoers. Jones Hall is owned and operated by HoustonFirst Corporation, a subsidiary of the City of Houston. Backstage operations are managed by the Foundation for Jones Hall, an organization with representation from both the Houston Symphony and Performing Arts Houston, the two resident companies of Jones Hall. In 2021, the Foundation for Jones Hall began a major renovation. The project has been scheduled over five years, mostly in summer, and will be completed in 2025 just before the 60th Anniversary of Jones Hall in 2026. The renovation is dramatically improving acoustics with the installation of new seats and a new orchestra shell, has made technical and infrastructure improvements, and provided state-of-the-art audio and visual capabilities. Lobby spaces have been reconfigured, restrooms increased, and overall accessibility has been greatly improved. The Houston Symphony also reaches thousands of Houstonians in city parks, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, at the Miller Outdoor Theatre, and other venues throughout the metropolitan area.
Although the pandemic caused the Orchestra to suspend performances in March 2020, the Houston Symphony successfully resumed concerts and completed a full 2020-21 Season with in-person audiences and weekly livestreams of each performance, making it one of the only orchestras in the world to do so. The extraordinary response of the Houston Symphony to the COVID pandemic was featured by Scott Sonenshein of Rice University in his articles “To Adapt During a Crisis, Take a Lesson from Jazz” and “When the Symphony does Jazz: How Resourcefulness Fosters Organizational Resilience During Adversity.” The Houston Symphony’s 2020-21 Season streaming concerts received the ASCAP Foundation’s Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Broadcast/Media Award, recognizing their use of creative ensembles during the lockdowns and uninterrupted continuation of their programming. The Houston Symphony has continued livestreaming since then and remains committed to livestreaming its concerts in the future. The 2024-25 Season will reach audiences in more than 45 countries and all 50 states.
In addition to regular livestreaming, the Houston Symphony furthered its reach in 2018 with a successful 8-city European tour in 2018 and has recorded under various labels, including Koch International, Naxos, RCA Red Seal, Telarc, Virgin Classics, and Pentatone. The Orchestra received the ECHO Klassik award for a live recording of Alban Berg’s Wozzeck with former Music Director Hans Graf. That recording also garnered a GRAMMY Award for Best Opera Recording. Recent releases include the world premiere performance of Jimmy Lopez Bellido’s Aurora & Ad Astra for Pentatone and most recently Jennifer Higdon’s Duo Duel for Naxos released in 2023.
The Houston Symphony’s Student Concert Series served 53,000 students last season, more than double the number of any other major U.S. orchestra. Now in its third year, the community-based after-school program In Harmony will welcome 40 students this fall in the Fifth Ward Cultural Arts District and expand to two additional Houston neighborhoods in the 2024-25 season. Through collaborations in the Texas Medical Center, the Houston Symphony leads innovative Music and Wellness Initiatives, including bedside visits for MD Anderson Cancer Center and Texas Children’s Hospital, a full-orchestra holiday performance at Houston Methodist Hospital and provides stimulating musical experiences for individuals with dementia. In addition, the Houston Symphony’s Hispanic and African American Leadership Councils help guide the organization in making the Orchestra’s work more impactful for their communities.
Music Director Juraj Valčuha began his tenure with the Houston Symphony in 2022. The Principal Pops Conductor is Steven Reineke, the Conductor Laureate is Andrés Orozco-Estrada, and the Associate Conductor is Gonzalo Farias. The Houston Symphony is currently undergoing a search for a new Director for the all-volunteer Houston Symphony Chorus which performs regularly with the Orchestra in both classical and pops concerts.
In 2023, the Houston Symphony engaged in a strategic planning process that drew on the expertise of members of the Board, the Music Director, the orchestra, the staff, and the community. As the Orchestra charts its course toward 2030 and beyond, its vision is centered around the elements that are most important to the organization: a commitment to artistic excellence; the Orchestra’s role as a cultural institution in Houston; and ensuring accessibility for all.
The Houston Symphony’s Board of Trustees includes 34 Governing Directors, 16 of whom serve on the Executive Committee. Additional support is provided by 70 non-governing Trustees and 320 volunteers who serve as members of the Houston Symphony League. The Orchestra includes 91 professional musicians; there is an administrative staff of 74.
The Position
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Symphony provides the leadership, inspiration, and strategic management that enable the Orchestra to realize its vision, fulfill its mission, and achieve success with the programs and initiatives articulated in the four pillars of the newly adopted strategic plan. The Executive Director/CEO oversees and directs the implementation of the strategic plan and, working with the Board of Trustees, ensures that the Orchestra has the resources needed to support the future envisioned by the plan. The Executive Director embraces and amplifies the Houston Symphony’s core values to ensure that excellence, sustainability, community, and inclusion are embedded in the Houston Symphony’s programs, policies, and personnel, and organizational culture.
The Executive Director/CEO reports to the Board through the President. The ED/CEO is responsible and accountable for all aspects of the Houston Symphony’s operations, including planning; budgeting and financial management; fundraising; marketing; audience development; institutional branding; public relations and advocacy; artistic administration and concert production; labor relations and collective bargaining negotiations; education; electronic media; human resource management; and community engagement. The ED/CEO leads a team that includes the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, the Senior Director of Marketing, the Director of Education and Community Engagement, and the Senior Directors of Development.
The ED/CEO contributes to the long-term sustainability of the Houston Symphony by realizing net annual financial surpluses and growing the endowment to support the transition to an endowment enabled business model. The ED/CEO sets and manages a $41 million annual operating budget.
The Executive Director/CEO takes an active leadership role in fundraising, including donor identification, cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship. With the President and Chair, the ED/CEO provides impetus and support to the governance and fundraising work of the Board and its Committees. The ED/CEO engages, motivates, leads, and supervises a high caliber administrative staff. The ED/CEO provides guidance and support to the Houston Symphony League and Leadership Councils.
The Executive Director/CEO works in close partnership with the Music Director to achieve the Orchestra’s artistic goals. The ED/CEO fosters an environment that allows conductors, orchestra musicians, chorus members, composers, and guest artists to do their best work and reach the highest possible level of artistic excellence. With the Music Director and Principal Pops Conductor, the ED/CEO ensures that the programs and performances of the Houston Symphony attract, engage, and retain a broad and diverse audience. The ED/CEO fosters the Houston Symphony’s commitment to provide access to arts experiences and arts education through our expansive Education and Community engagement initiatives. The ED/CEO oversees efforts to develop the Houston Symphony’s brand, expand the Orchestra’s patron base, and provide a superior customer experience.
The Executive Director/CEO is the visible representative, articulate spokesperson, and passionate advocate for the Houston Symphony throughout the local community, the state, and to a broader national and international public. The ED/CEO ensures that the Houston Symphony maintains positive and productive relationships with Houston’s philanthropic community; arts, cultural, and educational
institutions; government agencies; and other community organizations. The ED/CEO actively seeks opportunities to expand the reach and enhance the reputation of the Houston Symphony both nationally and internationally.
Candidate Profile
The next Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Symphony will be a visionary and dynamic leader with a passion for orchestras and symphonic music and the demonstrated ability to manage organizational growth and change in a not-for-profit arts organization. The ED/CEO will be a strategic thinker with strong entrepreneurial instincts and a track record of success in fundraising,
audience development, and community engagement.
The successful candidate will fully embrace the vision, mission, strategic pillars, and values of the Houston Symphony as articulated in the strategic plan that will guide the Orchestra through to 2030. The candidate will have the ability to inspire both internal and external constituencies to collaborate in realizing the vision, fulfilling the mission, and implementing the programs and initiatives of the four strategic pillars. Through leadership and example, the candidate will ensure that the Houston Symphony reflects its shared values in interactions with diverse stakeholders in all aspects of the Orchestra’s work.
The successful candidate will have a thorough working knowledge of orchestras, music, and repertoire. The candidate will have a highly developed network of internationally recognized conductors and solo artists and the agents who represent them. The candidate will have the proven ability to negotiate and work effectively with professional musicians in a collective bargaining environment.
The successful candidate will have a proven track record for fundraising, sound financial management, and achieving positive financial results. The candidate will be willing to devote substantial time and effort to fundraising and to supporting the fundraising efforts of the Board. The candidate will have a track record of success in establishing the organization’s brand, attracting and retaining new audiences, building customer loyalty, and increasing overall audience size, diversity, and demand.
The successful candidate will have excellent public presentation abilities. The candidate will be able to speak and write persuasively about the value and importance of the Houston Symphony to diverse internal and external audiences. Conversational Spanish language skills will be considered an asset. The candidate will have experience working effectively with government officials and agencies at the local and state level. The candidate will have excellent diplomatic, consensus-building, and listening skills.
The successful candidate will be creative, entrepreneurial, curious, and persistent. The candidate will have a collaborative management style that fosters teamwork, communication, and transparency. The candidate will have an abiding love of music and deep respect for orchestras and musicians. The candidate will be a person of integrity and high ethical standards. The successful candidate will welcome the opportunity to become an integral part of the greater Houston community.
Compensation
The compensation range for this position is $440,000 to $480,000, depending on qualifications and experience. The Houston Symphony offers comprehensive employee benefits as well.
Applications
The Houston Symphony welcomes recommendations, nominations, and applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, ethnicity, or national origin.
Applicants for the position of Executive Director/CEO are asked to submit a letter that describes specific interest in the Houston Symphony and outlines experience and qualifications for the position as described in the foregoing candidate profile.
Please send this letter with a resumé and contact information for at least three professional references. Electronic submissions are requested. All applications will be treated as confidential, and references will not be contacted without the candidate’s knowledge and agreement.
Please send materials to:
Houston Symphony Executive Director/CEO
c/o Catherine French Group
2500 Q Street NW, Ste. 623
Washington, DC 20007
applications@catherinefrenchgroup.com
Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) attachments only
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