Opportunity for the Right Visionary Leader

Search for the President and Chief Executive Officer Detroit Symphony Orchestra Detroit, Michigan

The Board of Directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) seeks a visionary, experienced, and engaging leader to serve as the next President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A pillar of the Detroit arts and cultural community for more than 130 years, the DSO is an internationally acclaimed orchestra known for its industry leadership, artistic excellence, innovative programming, oneDSO culture, and an unwavering commitment to community, education and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Under the leadership of the Board of Directors and President and CEO Anne Parsons, who will be retiring in late 2022 after 18 years of unparalleled service, the DSO has undergone a remarkable period of growth and transformation. Like the city of Detroit itself, the DSO has a storied and exciting history and has flourished despite the economic challenges of the past. Through careful financial stewardship, artistic collaboration, and entrepreneurship, the DSO has achieved an operating surplus for the eighth consecutive year and grown its programming and fundraising efforts substantially. Today, the organization has reaffirmed itself as a strong, vibrant, relevant, and essential institution ready to embrace its next chapter.

Known as America’s most accessible orchestra, the DSO is a leader in digital innovation, culturally inclusive programming that celebrates African American and women composers and musicians, and comprehensive education, training, and outreach programs that connect with, and celebrate, the diversity of the surrounding community. In this next era, the DSO aims for even greater artistic heights with a deep commitment to diverse genres of music and support of artists and staff of the highest caliber, a culture of inclusion, and programming that celebrates the social, cultural, and economic diversity of our world today.

Deeply rooted in a city and the surrounding region, with a rich musical legacy and a vibrant multi-cultural population, the DSO is uniquely positioned to leverage the healing power of music in revitalizing neighborhoods, transforming communities, and enhancing civic life. In addition, having recently hired a new Music Director, Jader Bignamini, the DSO is poised for continued excellence. Furthermore, with the emergence of ever diversifying Michigan economy and a rich art and cultural scene in Detroit, there is a great philanthropic opportunity and ability to expand the DSO’s impact.

Together with the Board of Directors, the Music Director, the musicians, professional staff, and the community, the next President and CEO will lead the DSO to new levels of artistic and creative prominence. In order to be successful, the CEO will be expected to address the following key opportunities and challenges:

• Craft a bold vision for the future of a 21st-century community-engaged orchestra • Deliver upon the DSO’s commitment to inclusive excellence and enhance the oneDSO culture

Isaacson, Miller

Detroit Symphony Orchestra Search for the President and Chief Executive Officer

• Continue the successful launch of the new Music Director • Achieve greater financial stability through ambitious fundraising, including an endowment campaign, and resource diversification • Further inspire audiences and transform communities in Detroit through innovative outreach and engagement initiatives • Partner and engage meaningfully with the Board to support DSO’s governance and development efforts

A list of the desired qualifications and characteristics of the CEO can be found at the conclusion of this document, which was prepared by the search committee with the assistance of Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm. This document provides background information and details the key opportunities and challenges related to the position. All confidential applications, inquiries, and nominations should be directed to the parties listed at the conclusion of this document.

About the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Hailed by The New York Times as “cutting edge,” the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is America’s fourth oldest orchestra and a leader among orchestras worldwide in advancing accessibility through technology as the first orchestra in the world to offer free live webcasts of all their classical concerts to the general public. Operating 365 days per year, the DSO is a performing arts institution, an educational facility, and a community center. The organization is governed by an independent Board of Directors and employs both union and non-union employees as musicians, stage crew, and administrative staff.

The DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall, located within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center. “The Max,” as it is commonly known, also includes the Peter D. and Julie F. Cummings Cube and Robert A. and Maggie Allesee Rehearsal Hall, two flexible performance and event spaces that make the entire DSO campus a hub of cultural excellence. In addition, the DSO is reimagining ways to active the Sosnick Courtyard, a gathering and performance green space adjacent to The Max, to offer free outdoor summer concert series for the people of Detroit.

The DSO offers a performance schedule that features Classical, PNC Pops, Paradise Jazz, and Young People’s Family Concert series. Its 88 full-time professional musicians perform 38 weeks of concerts each year and collaborate with high-profile artists from Yo-Yo Ma and Steven Spielberg to Nas and Lang Lang.

In January 2020, Italian conductor Jader Bignamini was named the DSO’s music director to commence with the 2020-2021 season. The first full season at the DSO for Bignamini is marked by new pieces — including four world premieres — and more than 20 works composed by women and people of color, underscoring a stylistic direction that has distinguished the DSO among American orchestras in recent years.

Conductor Leonard Slatkin, who concluded a decade-long tenure in 2018, now serves as the DSO’s Music Director Laureate. Under his leadership, the DSO showcased its excellence through its concert series at Orchestra Hall, free community concerts, radio broadcasts, streaming concert videos through its website, and its still-prolific recording output. The DSO recorded mainly for the Naxos label, on which it released the album Copland: Billy the Kid; Grohg in 2019. This recording was nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Orchestral Performance category.

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History

Representing one of Detroit’s cultural treasures, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra has a history filled with revivals and triumphs over obstacles. Under conductor Rudolph Speil, the DSO gave its first performance on December 19, 1887, at the Detroit Opera House. By 1910, it had ceased operations. Four years later, ten young Detroit women organized quickly to reassemble the orchestra. Each woman contributed $100 and pledged to find 100 additional subscribers who would donate $10 to support the ensemble. Hiring 27-year-old Boston church organist Weston Gales, the reconstituted DSO held its first concert on February 26, 1914, again at the Detroit Opera House.

The tenacity of the orchestra throughout its first century built a foundation upon which the DSO could continue to thrive. With its vision of being “an inclusive and culturally relevant community where all people can experience their world through music,” the DSO has pioneered the way from live radio broadcasts to its award-winning discography.

Anne Parsons arrived as the DSO’s President in 2004, having held leadership positions with the NY City Ballet, Hollywood Bowl, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony. She led the search that named Leonard Slatkin as music director in 2008, which was a signifying moment for the DSO to creatively redefine itself.

During the 2019-2020 season, the DSO celebrated the 100th anniversary of Orchestra Hall, one of its greatest assets. Built for the DSO at the request of then-music director Ossip Gabrilowitsch during the summer of 1919, Orchestra Hall was designed by noted theater architect C. Howard Crane and is renowned for its historic beauty and perfect acoustics.

In its 134-year history, the DSO has weathered crises including pandemics, the Great Depression, two World Wars, and other enormous financial burdens, each time coming back stronger than before.

The DSO Past and Present

In the years following the 2008 recession, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra took severe but necessary measures to create a pathway to survival. The staff workforce was cut by one-third and permanent pay cuts were implemented. The members of the orchestra agreed to a three-year concessionary contract following a six-month work stoppage and strike. The DSO restructured $54 million in debt which eliminated the unrestricted endowment and left little operating cash and no borrowing capacity.

Anne Parsons and her team consistently led the DSO’s evolution not by being complacent with the status quo, but instead by questioning what is being done and how progress is being achieved. In partnership with former Board Chairs Stanley Frankel and Phillip Fisher, Parsons led two task forces to focus on the DSO’s long-term sustainability. A Culture and Governance Task Force engaged the institution around the definition of a preferred culture in relation to its values, mission, and vision. A new governance structure was established, allowing for more stakeholder participation through clear, well-defined roles with each individual board member fully engaged in fiscal oversight, strategic thinking, and cultural stewardship. The second task force, a cross-functional Recapitalization Task Force, was established to develop a long- term financial plan with the goal of providing a blueprint for balanced operations.

In 2012, the DSO Board unanimously ratified the framework Blueprint 2023, which established aggressive targets with a goal to quickly rebuild ticket sales and fundraising while tightly managing expense growth.

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Most significantly, the plan made the case for the $200 million OneDSO campaign for a new endowment, $125 million of which will be collected by 2023. In April 2018, the Blueprint 2.0 Task Force was convened to examine the underlying strategic and financial assumptions in Blueprint 2023 and create a sustainable trajectory moving forward.

Today, the DSO has deepened its commitment to the institutional values of excellence, collaboration, diversity, innovation, resilience. The organization has produced 8 consecutive years of balanced operating budgets, increased concert attendance and ticket sales, grew the annual fund, and controlled expenses. $93 million was raised through the comprehensive OneDSO Campaign, including $39 million for the endowment. As of December 31, 2020, the DSO’s endowment balance totaled approximately $62 million with a projected total of $81 million when all current commitments are received. Its goal by 2023 is to secure an additional $75 million in pledges to the endowment.

Led by Chair Emeritus Phillip Fisher and continued by current Chair Mark Davidoff, the DSO made tremendous progress in building a healthy institutional culture, as evidenced by two early collective bargaining settlements. The DSO added 39 new musicians and numerous staff members, attracting top talent both on and off the stage.

The DSO has remained committed to artistic excellence and returned to touring with a two-concert engagement at Carnegie Hall in 2013, a two-week tour to Florida in 2014, and its first international performances in 16 years with the 3-week tour of Asia in 2017, including the Orchestra’s debut in China and its first visit to Japan in 19 years. The DSO performed 11 concerts over 18 days, bringing the story of a resurgent Detroit to international audiences.

The DSO’s early adoption of digital technology, plus its emphasis on webcasting every Classical Series subscription concert—leading to a robust archive—allowed the orchestra to pivot successfully and quickly to virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic. The orchestra won national attention in 2020 for its new online program, DSO Digital Concerts, along with other efforts including Facebook watch parties.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The DSO has been a long pioneer in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Since 1978, the DSO’s Classical Roots concerts have increased the awareness of the significant contributions that African American composers and musicians have made to classical music. The Arthur L. Johnson – Honorable Damon Jerome Keith Classical Roots Celebration, held in conjunction with the concerts since 2001, supports the Classical Roots mission. Starting over 30 years ago, the DSO’s African-American Orchestra Fellowship, now supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, is proud to be a leader in nurturing the talents of young African American orchestral musicians and increasing access and opportunity for African Americans within classical music.

The DSO began its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee in 2015 as a task force, led by Chair Shirley Stancato. In 2019, the DSO was selected to receive a Catalyst Fund grant from the League of American Orchestras, made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, providing the opportunity to work with a consultant on developing a comprehensive DEI strategic plan with benchmarks and key progress indicators. The board, staff, and musicians have since received training and been immersed in a process of developing action plans to support the intended outcomes of this work.

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Community Engagement

As a cornerstone cultural institution, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra takes seriously its responsibility to help ensure a strong art and cultural core in Southeast Michigan—both at home on Woodward Avenue and throughout Metro Detroit and beyond.

The DSO announced its Social Progress Initiative in June 2017, affirming a commitment to continuous dialogue and action that leverages the power of music to improve the quality of life for all people of greater Detroit. In August 2020, it launched the Detroit Strategy Taskforce as a way to strategize and evaluate the DSO’s role in the continual growth and well-being of the city of Detroit, further deepening its commitment to the people who live, work, and play in Detroit.

The William Davidson Neighborhood Concert Series, established in 2011, creates a permanent DSO presence in seven communities across Metro Detroit. The Series currently includes subscription concerts at neighborhood venues in Southfield, Monroe, Beverly Hills, West Bloomfield, Plymouth, Bloomfield Hills, and Grosse Pointe.

Additional partnerships allow the DSO to reach approximately 15,000 people annually through chamber concerts and other performances in schools, hospitals, places of worship, senior living centers, corporate campuses, parks, and other communal spaces.

Educational Enrichment

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra also offers robust educational resources for anyone who wishes to deepen their knowledge of music. Through the Wu Family Academy for Learning and Engagement (WFA), the DSO built a robust pipeline of young musicians while creating new training opportunities for underserved youth.

For more than 80 years, the DSO’s Educational Concert Series (ECS) has introduced children across Southeast Michigan to classical music. In 2014, ECS expanded with the addition of the free Live from Orchestra Hall: Classroom Edition webcast series. This expansion enables students anywhere in the world to experience ECS, with anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 students watching each season.

Since its founding in 1970, the DSO’s Civic Youth Ensembles (CYE) have also grown to provide musicians of all ages a comprehensive music education experience. CYE consists of two full orchestras, four string orchestras, three wind ensembles, three jazz ensembles, and one choir (in partnership with the Detroit Children's Choir), as well as several chamber ensembles and jazz combos.

More recently, in 2019, the DSO announced the development of Detroit Harmony, a citywide collaboration to improve childhood development through music education and grow economic opportunity by employing Detroiters in the provision of instruments and instruction. The initiative will offer a systemic approach to ensuring musical instruments and instruction are made available for all Detroit K-12 students. Detroit Harmony stems from the DSO’s Social Progress Initiative.

Governance Structure

The DSO’s unique governance structure includes three segments with distinct yet critical purposes. As fiduciaries of the institution, each member of the Board of Directors is fully engaged in the fiscal oversight,

Isaacson, Miller Page 5 of 9 Detroit Symphony Orchestra Search for the President and Chief Executive Officer cultural stewardship, strategic thinking, and resource generation of the DSO. The Board of Directors maintains a culture of high engagement and accountability, overseeing all DSO financial activities and assuring that resources are aligned with its mission.

The Board of Trustees, comprised of many of the institution’s most dedicated supporters and many retired Board of Director members, infuses creativity and innovation into the DSO's offerings and outreach. Trustees engage in task forces and learning labs to develop increase the organization’s entrepreneurial capabilities while implementing and evaluating new approaches in areas including audience development, branding, digital media, education, and beyond.

The Governing Members, comprised of over 500 committed patrons, serves as the electing body of the Board of Directors at its annual meeting each December.

This three-part governance structure provides the DSO with the ability to drive engagement and foster a sense of ownership among its patrons.

Collective Bargaining

In February 2020, the DSO and its musicians ratified a new three-year contract agreement, which includes a scale increase totaling 5.1 percent over the previous contract, plus one additional performance week, with the base wage going to $105,000 in 2024. This was the third straight early contract resolution the DSO had with its musicians, resulted from a truly collaborative effort between the members of the joint Negotiations Committee.

In response to the financial challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, the DSO applied salary reductions across the board from staff, musicians, and stage crew, which helped avoid any layoffs of full-time employees. The Board of Directors also created the DSO Resilience Fund to help keep the music playing and celebrate supporters, patrons, and donors for investing in the future of the orchestra. An immediate goal of $1 million was quickly met with 100 percent board participation.

Role of the President and Chief Executive Officer

The President and Chief Executive Officer is responsible for growing the DSO’s artistic excellence and ensuring its financial sustainability. The CEO will be a compelling ambassador and organizational leader, responsible for external relations, fundraising, and strong administrative management. In collaboration with the Music Director, the CEO will ensure that the DSO’s artistic products continue to inspire and engage audiences and align with the overall vision and mission of the organization.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will work closely with the Senior Leadership Team, the musicians, staff, and community to further enhance the DSO’s visibility and catapult the organization to greater heights. The CEO currently oversees four direct reports including the Vice President and General Manager, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, and an executive assistant.

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Key Opportunities and Challenges for the President and Chief Executive Officer

Craft a bold vision for the future of a 21st-century community-engaged orchestra

As the DSO looks to welcome live audiences back to the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, the next President and CEO will work with staff, musicians, Board, Trustees, Governing Members, and the community to craft an inspiring and forward-looking vision for the future. The CEO will develop and execute both short- and long-term strategies for this next era of growth while delivering on the bold objectives set out by the Blueprint 2023 framework. Building on the DSO’s incredible legacy and assets, the CEO will lead the DSO in sustaining its artistic excellence, strengthening its roots in the resilient and vital city of Detroit, and expanding its visibility and impact nationally and internationally.

Deliver upon the DSO commitment to inclusive excellence and enhance the oneDSO culture

In recent years, as the DSO embarked on internal taskforces to reexamine its values, mission, and governance structure, the organization has benefited from strong leadership and increased collaboration among musicians, staff, Board members, and senior leadership. The next CEO must live and breathe the DSO’s shared values of excellence, collaboration, diversity, innovation, resilience while embracing the oneDSO culture of trust, consensus building, and working towards a shared vision.

A champion of diversity in classical music for decades, the DSO has been actively applying DEI practices into the fabric of the organization. Building on the effort of the Board’s DEI Committee, the CEO will support the recruitment and retention of culturally diverse staff and musicians to ensure that the orchestra and the organization as a whole better reflect the population of Detroit and the surrounding region.

Continue the successful launch of the new Music Director

The CEO will partner with the new Music Director and the Vice President and General Manager to realize a bold and exciting artistic vision. Together they will build an organization that will attract outstanding world-class guest artists and conductors, furthering DSO’s reputation as a world-renowned symphony orchestra. The CEO will work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to make the case for why and how an orchestra should tour locally and internationally, while simultaneously engaging in meaningful outreach activities to bring classical music closer to the people of Detroit and Michigan at large.

Achieve greater financial stability through ambitious fundraising, including an endowment campaign, and resource diversification

As the fundraiser in chief, the CEO will be expected to build the DSO’s endowment and ensure the success of the DSO’s annual and capital campaigns. The orchestra hopes to raise $75 million in endowment by 2023, which will place the DSO at a competitive level financially and artistically compared to its orchestra peers. In addition, the CEO will work to further diversify earned income; unlike many other orchestras, the DSO has been able to grow subscription sales along with single ticket sales – a trend it hopes to continue. The CEO will also invest in marketing and advancement functions to ensure the DSO’s success in this arena, continue to invest in the Detroit Strategy, and further develop and cultivate the Board.

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Further inspire audiences and transform communities in Detroit through innovative outreach and engagement initiatives

The new CEO must understand the DSO’s role as a cultural cornerstone in Detroit, integrally tied to the economic and civic vitality of the city, and an institution with the power to further connect communities and transform lives. To that end, the CEO will own the DSO’s Social Progress Initiatives and broaden efforts serving diverse communities in the region. The CEO will also establish strategic partnerships with peer institutions and major players in the arts sector across Michigan to expand the DSO’s reach. Committing to highlighting great music of all eras by all composers, the CEO will ensure the DSO reflects Detroit’s cultural diversity. The CEO will also further the organization’s online and digital presence, ensuring a broad reach to audiences around the world.

Partner and engage meaningfully with the Boards to support DSO’s governance and development efforts

The Board of Trustees is a generous and engaged group of individuals, many of whom have been long- time supporters of the DSO, purposeful about their stewardship of the organization, and committed to its vibrancy—and the vibrancy of the community it serves. The next CEO will build on this strong foundation and will call upon their talents and resources to ensure success. The CEO must maintain a strong partnership with Board members, connecting with them individually and as a group, to ensure sustained cultivation and support to the DSO.

Partnering with the Board Chair, the CEO will focus on good board governance by assuring the Board has complete and accurate information to make decisions. In addition, the CEO will take an active role in planning for the future, recruiting and developing new leaders who reflect the greater diversity of the Detroit community.

Qualifications and Characteristics

The DSO seeks candidates with the following qualities and characteristics, understanding that each candidate brings relative strengths and weaknesses and that no single candidate will likely be strong in every area:

• A deep commitment to growing the artistic profile and excellence of the DSO; • A deep respect for and ability to articulate the DSO’s values and mission; • An understanding of and profound commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion; • A proven track record of senior leadership; • Deep knowledge of and passion for music and a commitment to the classical repertoire; • A track record of fundraising and donor stewardship success, especially in securing strategic and transformative gifts; • An eager, passionate, empathetic, and humble leader who can leverage and optimize the team’s talents and lead in a collegial way; • Strong business acumen and financial management skills; • Demonstrated ability to engage and inspire stakeholders through persuasive communication, personal style, humor, and warmth; • An understanding of the role of the Board and an ability to work with the Board effectively; • Demonstrated ability to develop innovative ideas and effectively implement them;

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• Experience working with a union; and • A naturally curious, adventurous, and infectious spirit.

Location

Located in southeastern Michigan, Detroit is the largest city in the state and has one of the largest African American populations in the country along with booming Latinx, Asian, and Arab American communities. The city’s rich musical and industrial heritage is more alive than ever before, mingling with an ever- expanding array of museums, performing arts, events, and international cuisine. From chart-topping musicians to distinctive museums such as the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Arab American National Museum, Detroit’s cultural scene is at its prime. With Lonely Planet ranking it the No. 2 travel destination in the world for 2018, and The New York Times naming it one of the world’s top places to go in 2017, Detroit is capturing worldwide attention.

Once a thriving industrial center, Detroit fell on hard times after World War II, but the city is experiencing a resurgence with steady gains in job growth and economic development. Known as Motown for its automobile industry, the city that put America in motion is quickly growing into a startup hub with a wide variety of successes. From sneakers to mortgages to FinTech, companies are finding success in Southeast Michigan thanks to welcoming investors, access to amazing talent, and deep history of creating lasting businesses. Detroit’s success also trails a larger important ecosystem in Southeast Michigan, with Ann Arbor located 45 minutes away. Three comprehensive public universities are located in close proximity: Michigan State University in Lansing, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Detroit-based Wayne State University just a mile away from the DSO. With one of the world’s busiest air transportation hubs, Detroit offers nonstop flights to 150 destinations in the world.

Applications, Inquiries, and Nominations

Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: www.imsearch.com/7970. Electronic submission of materials is required.

Regan Hirano Gough, Benjamin Tobin, and Phuong Ta Isaacson, Miller 1000 Sansome Street, Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94111 Phone: 415.655.4900

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