DSO HIRES, PROMOTES STAFF AHEAD OF 2016-2017 SEASON—INCLUDING NEW VICE PRESIDENT POSITIONS AND DIRECTORS
Erik Rönmark promoted to VP, Linda Lutz takes on VP title as well; new hires include Director of Communications & Media Relations and Director of Digital Initiatives
Detroit, (September 26, 2016) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) has made key staff hires and promotions ahead of the 2016-2017 Season, which kicks off this weekend.
General Manager and Artistic Administrator Erik Rönmark has joined the Executive Office as Vice President and General Manager.
Since the departure of Executive Vice President Paul Hogle in July, a reworking of the Executive Office has been underway to designate multiple Vice Presidents rather than just one. To that end, Chief Financial Officer Linda Lutz has been designated Vice President and CFO.
“I am so impressed with Erik and Linda’s capacity to lead the DSO forward,” says Anne Parsons, President & CEO. “Creating a select team of VPs strengthens the executive office and the DSO overall.” A search committee is assisting with the search for a third Vice President whose focus will be all contributed revenue.
The DSO has hired Matthew Carlson as Director of Communications & Media Relations. Carlson will relocate from New York, where he was previously Associate Director of Public Relations at Carnegie Hall. Carlson has worked in public relations at Carnegie Hall for 17 years, where he helped direct communications and press plans for the music education and community programs of the Hall’s Weill Music Institute and for Carnegie Hall festivals. From 2005 to 2007, Carlson was Senior Public Relations Manager for Lincoln Center, where he served as lead publicist for the Mostly Mozart Festival and Orchestra and the PBS television program Live from Lincoln Center, among other projects. Carlson will start at the DSO on Oct. 11, 2016. His responsibilities include leading the orchestra’s Communications department, managing media and press relations locally, nationally, and internationally, designing and executing communications strategies consistent with the DSO brand, and planning all press releases, announcements, and communications special projects.
Marc Geelhoed has joined the DSO as Director of Digital Initiatives. Geelhoed was previously Manager of Audio Media at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where he managed recording initiatives—including the Resound record label and the weekly radio-broadcast series—and assisted in planning all media activity. Geelhoed started at the DSO on Sep. 15. As Director of Digital Initiatives, he will manage the Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series and in-house recording label of the same name, as well as serve as primary liaison for DSO recording and distribution partners.
Additionally, the DSO has hired Brian Frazee as Manager of Community Engagement, and has promoted Kathryn Ginsburg to Orchestra Manager and Teresa Alden to Digital Communications Manager.
About the DSO
Hailed by The New York Times as “cutting edge,” the internationally acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, visionary maestros, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and an ardent commitment to Detroit. As a community-supported orchestra, generous giving by individuals and institutions at all levels drives the continued success and growth of the institution. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin, called “America’s Music Director” by the Los Angeles Times, became the DSO’s 12th Music Director, endowed by the Kresge Foundation, in 2008. Acclaimed conductor, arranger, and trumpeter Jeff Tyzik serves as Principal Pops Conductor while celebrated trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard holds the Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair. With growing attendance and unwavering philanthropic support from the Detroit community, the DSO’s performance schedule includes Classical, Pops, Jazz, Young People’s, and Neighborhood concerts, and collaborations with high profile artists from Steven Spielberg to Kid Rock. A commitment to broadcast innovation began in 1922 when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a radio broadcast and continues today with the free Live from Orchestra Hall webcast series, which now reaches tens of thousands of children with the new Classroom Edition expansion. Making its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, one of America’s most acoustically perfect concert halls, the DSO actively pursues a mission to embrace and inspire individuals, families, and communities through unsurpassed musical experiences.
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