SEATTLE SYMPHONY ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD LEADERSHIP AND FOUNDS THE PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL
Seattle, WA – In the face of industry-wide challenges throughout the last year, the Seattle Symphony has deftly embarked on a new chapter with a renewed focus on bringing music to its community and supporting the arts, from launching Seattle Symphony Live to initiatives like the Community Stages Fund. Helping to see the Symphony through its current challenges during the pandemic as well as the anticipated re-opening of Benaroya Hall to audiences is new Board leadership and the Symphony’s inaugural President’s Council.
The Symphony Board of Directors has elected Jon Rosen as its next Board Chair, to succeed current Board Chair René Ancinas when his term ends in August 2021. Rosen, of The Rosen Law Firm which specializes in labor and employment law, will serve as Board Chair-Elect alongside Board Chair Ancinas in the current season. Rosen brings over thirty years of experience serving on the boards of nonprofits such as the Seattle Arts Commission, Temple De Hirsch Sinai where he served two terms as president, Jewish Family Services of Greater Seattle, Cornish College of the Arts and Classical KING FM 98.1. Having first joined the Seattle Symphony Board in 2009, Rosen is well-acquainted with the organization’s history and growth over the years. Rosen, a strong advocate for arts education and social justice, will carry on the strong leadership of his predecessors, Ancinas and Leslie Jackson Chihuly, beginning in the 2021–2022 season.
Arts executive and philanthropist Leslie Jackson Chihuly has returned to a leadership role at the Symphony as the Benaroya Hall Board Chair this season. During her nine-year tenure as Seattle Symphony Board Chair, Chihuly supported the Symphony through unprecedented artistic growth and renewed commitment to community engagement, which Ancinas, who succeeded Chihuly, has continued to build upon during his tenure.
As the Symphony navigates the short- and long-term impact of the pandemic on the arts sector, the support of donors has been critical to the organization’s resilience and sustaining live concert production this season. It is in their honor that the Symphony has founded The President’s Council. The newly established leadership council recognizes the Symphony’s philanthropic leaders as the Symphony continues its road to recovery. The President’s Council founding members are: Charles and Lisa Simonyi, Co-Chairs; Chap and Eve Alvord; Arakawa Foundation; Rebecca Benaroya; Leslie and Dale Chihuly; Judith Fong and Mark Wheeler; Lyn and Gerald Grinstein; Lenore Hanauer; and Charles and Maria Schweizer.
“The Seattle Symphony is charting a path through these challenging times, and we are very grateful to have such breadth and depth of experience on Symphony leadership as we move forward in this recovery process with the entire community,” says Krishna Thiagarajan, Seattle Symphony President & CEO. “I look forward to the innovative solutions we will create together and the support and wisdom that these esteemed members of the Symphony family bring to our joint efforts to build an inspiring, better future for Seattle and beyond.”
Seattle Symphony Board Chair René Ancinas and the Board of Directors have also added three new members to its ranks this season: Joe Davy, Co-Founder & CEO of Banzai; Lyn Grinstein, board member at Seattle Art Museum, Yale University Art Gallery and the University of Washington Foundation; and Ike Lee, CEO of LTC Innovations, Inc. The newly elected Directors began their three-year terms in January 2021.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 730,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts.
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