OPPORTUNITY
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) seeks an inspirational, decisive, and dynamic leader to be its next President & CEO. The President & CEO will serve as the top steward and ambassador of the BSO’s significant standing as one of the world’s most respected symphony orchestras. As a dedicated strategist who understands how to gain trust for and consensus around bold,
action-oriented plans, BSO’s President & CEO will build upon the orchestra’s positive momentum and identify new ways for BSO to expand its profile, strengthen its financial position, connect more deeply and authentically with audiences and supporters, and ensure the deep collaboration of all members of the BSO board, staff, orchestra, and artistic teams working towards a common goal. The President & CEO will inspire and motivate a dedicated team and devoted community, galvanizing supporters to contribute their energy and resources in service of the company, and augmenting the messaging of BSO’s importance to its community, locally, regionally, and globally. The President & CEO will be a visible presence in the community advocating for the BSO and the excellence of its concerts and educational programs.
BACKGROUND
Organization
BSO’s mission is to perform the highest quality symphonic music of all eras that nurtures the human spirit. The BSO is committed to engaging, inspiring, educating, and serving its audiences and to enhancing the State of Maryland as a cultural center of vitality and importance.
BSO was founded in 1916 as a branch of the Baltimore municipal government and began operating as a private institution in 1942. The Orchestra maintains close relationships with the governments and communities of the city and surrounding counties, as well as the State of Maryland.
In 2007, BSO made history by naming Marin Alsop as its Music Director, becoming the first major American orchestra to name a female to that position. Maestra Alsop’s extraordinary
14-year run came to an end with the 2020-2021 Season; in September she will begin her tenure as Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder, a role that includes leading three concert weeks per season through 2025-26. Internationally renowned conductor James Conlon has been named as Artistic Advisor while the multi-year international search for a new artistic leader takes place.
The BSO’s pre-pandemic operating budget has typically ranged from $26 million to $29 million in expenses annually. Key expense drivers include direct concert expenses, education & ancillary program expenses, contributed expenses, and operating expenses. The BSO’s revenue structure consists of three primary areas: earned revenues from ticket sales, program fees, concessions, and facility rentals; annual endowment draw; and contributed revenues.
Contributed revenues come from individuals, corporations, foundations, government, and special fundraising events and initiatives such as the annual gala.
The company maintains a dedicated staff and a top-tier orchestra which recently reached an historic five-year agreement with the BSO. This five-year contract provides foundational stability and marks the first long-term agreement since a three-year contract expired in 2016. Working together, the orchestra and staff execute around 150 performances on an annual basis for upwards of 275,000 patrons, and has expanded its reach by embracing digital platforms and media partnerships during and beyond the pandemic. Since its founding, the BSO has performed 89 world premieres, including 42 commissioned works. The BSO has also had a long dedication to outreach and engagement through various efforts, including its OrchKids program, an award-winning music education and life-enrichment initiative designed to create social change within Baltimore City communities.
The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, a 2,443-seat world-class concert hall in Baltimore City, has been the primary home of the BSO since its opening in 1982. In 2005, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra with year-round venues in two metropolitan areas with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore, a 1,976-seat world-class arts venue one-half mile outside the Capital Beltway in North Bethesda, MD, a Washington, DC suburb. The 16-acre campus is also home to a variety of education and rehearsal spaces used by Strathmore and its partners. A public and private venture between the State of Maryland, Montgomery County, and corporate and individual philanthropists, the Music Center was specifically designed for and with the BSO as the Founding and Resident Partner. The BSO’s recently adopted Strategic Plan calls for substantially increased emphasis on Strathmore, making it a true second home for the orchestra. The Plan’s focus on Montgomery County, as well as nearby Washington, DC and Northern Virginia, recognizes the significantly untapped potential for increased performance and philanthropic revenue associated with Strathmore.
2020 marked the beginning of a new era of artistry, innovation, stability, and digital accessibility, including the launch of the virtual platform BSO OffStage and a groundbreaking digital series BSO Sessions. That year the Maryland legislature, guided by a comprehensive report from the Workgroup on the BSO chaired by former Senator Ed Kasemeyer, passed crucial legislation during its Legislative Session to appropriate bridge funding for the BSO in support of its plan for the future. The BSO is defining this new era by its cohesive approach to operational change in recognition of the need and desire to think differently about how the company delivers a stronger and more unified message and enhanced experience for its current and future patrons and supporters.
The BSO’s 2021-22 Season will mark a full return to performances for live audiences at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and The Music Center at Strathmore. With eight commissions and three world premieres, the season presents well-known works in new contexts while lifting the work of diverse artists and composers and the stories of repressed voices in our history.
Alongside collaborations with notable soloists and 14 local partners, audiences will also be introduced to numerous guest conductors as the BSO officially embarks on an international, multi-year Music Director search to succeed Maestra Alsop as the Orchestra’s 12th music director. BSO commitment to fostering greater inclusivity in all their programs and community-based activities is evident in these coming new artistic initiatives, exciting artistic cohorts, and a commitment to an ambitious 5-Year Strategic Plan (see below).
The BSO Board of Directors is dedicated to working closely with the President & CEO to build a stronger future for the orchestra that expands artistic horizons, all the while working towards a greater level of long-term financial strength and resilience. For more information about BSO, visit https://www.bsomusic.org/.
Community
Located on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore is a city rich in culture, with an exceptional array of renowned colleges and universities, medical institutions, museums and attractions including: The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore Center Stage, the Lyric, the Hippodrome Theatre, the University of Maryland, the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Baltimore, Loyola University of Maryland, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the University of Maryland Medical Center. It is also home to two outstanding professional sports teams: the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Ravens.
Baltimore is home to the second largest port in the Mid-Atlantic along with Fort McHenry, which at the entrance to Baltimore Harbor was the scene of the Battle of Baltimore during the War of 1812, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the Star-Spangled Banner.
The BSO’s second home is in Montgomery County, Maryland at The Music Center at Strathmore. Established in 1779, Montgomery County is in the Capital Region of Maryland, on the border with Washington, D.C. It is home to over one million people and is one of the wealthiest counties in the country. The county’s population is highly educated: it holds the country’s record for post-graduate degrees per capita. The county is a major business, shopping, and entertainment center for the Washington, D.C. metro area, and many of its residents work in Washington, D.C. and think of themselves as Washingtonians (though the county is also a major center in its own right for the biotech, hotel, and retail sectors, among others.) The county is very international, with more than a quarter of its population being foreign-born, with especially large Southeast Asian and Central American communities. As with Baltimore, the greater Washington, D.C. area is home to a wide array of museums, universities, and cultural institutions.
As a founding partner at Strathmore, and in line with the new Strategic Plan, the Strathmore community will be a major area of emphasis for the BSO in the coming years.
The State of Maryland is viewed as a national leader for its commitment to arts and culture. When cultural organizations like the BSO succeed, so too does the State of Maryland and the entire region. The economic impact of the arts in Maryland is estimated at $1.16 billion annually.
As Maryland’s largest arts organization, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a major driving force behind this substantial economic impact and many other innumerable cultural and quality of life benefits – including resident, business, and employee attraction.
Strategic Plan
The BSO is working to move the organization to a sustainable position to serve the community for many generations to come. In 2020, the BSO’s announced a new transformative and sustainable plan for the future. The Plan was the result of deep analysis into performance and industry trends with the advice of Michael Kaiser, the leading national consultant on cultural organization turnarounds. The plan focuses on Culture, Capital, Capacity and Community:
Culture: Ensuring that the art and education we deliver are among the best in the nation, engage our audience and donors, serve our community and are surprising and inspiring.Capital: Ensuring we have the financial resources we need to support this programming and that we are responsible stewards of our assets.Capacity: Ensuring that we have the people and the systems we need to manage the institution effectively and efficiently and to govern the organization responsibly.Community: Ensuring that we serve our entire Baltimore and Montgomery County communities effectively, and that we fully occupy our role as the leader of the performing arts in Maryland.Central to the Plan is the implementation of a rolling three-year artistic plan, with a rich portfolio of performances, complemented by robust educational programs. The BSO will deliver programs at locations throughout the State as well as reach Maryland’s underserved communities.
Like many orchestras, the BSO has incurred financial deficits caused by factors such as evolving audience expectations, competition for philanthropic support, and rising costs. Increasing contributed revenue, including cash gifts, multi-year pledges, and planned gifts, is a vitally important component of the efforts to advance the BSO. Philanthropic support, including
multi-year commitments, will continue to be critical to make the exciting future a reality. More information on the Plan can be found by visiting: https://www.bsomusic.org/misc/bso-updates/bso-announces-five-year-strategic-plan/
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
As the BSO maintains its shared commitment to the organizational transformation that is underway, it has also recommitted itself to the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) – recognizing that time and resources are needed to realize change. When the BSO is able reopen its venues, it will be with a newly crafted code of conduct that reflects a shared commitment to creating a safe, comfortable, welcoming, and enjoyable environment where all individuals – patrons, staff, artists, and volunteers – are treated with humanity, respect, and dignity.
POSITION AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The President & CEO of BSO will be guided by the following priorities and responsibilities:
Collaborate with the Board and the Executive Team to set and achieve goals for the organization following strategic priorities.Work closely with the Board and its Governance Committee to build a stronger, more representative and engaged Orchestra Board.Drive the Board’s cycle of strategic planning in coordination with the Board Chair.Develop and communicate BSO’s vision in a manner that honors the organization’s rich history, gathering input from multiple sources.Organizational Leadership
Oversee the effective management of the organization and ensure its long-term fiscal viability and growth.Collaborate in planning the season, including supporting the music director search that is underway.Ensure delivery of quality program activity, attending to exceptional experience for all constituents.Hire, retain, and nurture staff with the aim of fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion and supporting ongoing efforts to make necessary and important progress.Fundraising and Financial Support
Provide organizational leadership to all aspects of development and enthusiastically pursue new fundraising opportunities for the BSO.Actively identify and cultivate new donors and friends of the organization.Engage in strategic planning for major gift solicitations (both annual and capital) and serve as BSO’s chief major gifts fundraiser.Operations and Financial Stewardship
Develop organizational budgets and lead all operational planning with key staff and Board Committees.Meet financial goals through earned and contributed income and expense management.Maintain high standards of financial management and reporting.Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Demonstrate a clear and strong commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access.Prioritize implementation of tactics to build upon a company-wide commitment to greater DEI throughout all of BSO’s operations and programs.Strongly support and be an active participant in the BSO’s DEI Committee of the Board, assisting and advising the development of an organizational culture that demonstrably values and institutionalizes the principles of equity, inclusion, and diversity.Ensure a workplace culture that supports diverse perspectives expressed by an increasingly diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce that reflects the communities BSO serves.External Relations and Community Engagement
Develop opportunities for collaboration and partnerships, positioning BSO as a cooperative leader within the Baltimore, Montgomery County and greater Maryland community.Represent BSO as an engaging and inspirational public spokesperson and face of the organization.Collaborate with Strathmore to develop creative partnerships throughout Montgomery County.
