This marks a major changing of the guard.

HENRY FOGEL TO STEP DOWN AS PRESIDENT & CEO OF THE AMERICAN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA LEAGUE AT CONCLUSION OF HIS CONTRACT

JESSE ROSEN IS NAMED NEW PRESIDENT & CEO EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2008

Fogel to Continue Ambassadorial Role to America’s Orchestras

New York, NY–The American Symphony Orchestra League announced today that its president and chief executive officer, Henry Fogel, will step down at the conclusion of his five-year contract, which expires June 30, 2008.   In a unanimous decision, the League’s board of directors has voted to appoint Jesse Rosen, currently the League’s executive vice president and managing director, to the chief post effective July 1, 2008, thus ensuring a smooth transition of leadership.

League Board Chair Lowell Noteboom commented, “On behalf of the League, we are grateful for Henry Fogel’s outstanding contributions to the organization and to the entire orchestra community, and for enabling this extraordinarily thoughtful succession of leadership. The League’s health and stability is due in no small part to Henry’s diligence and foresight, and as we transition into the implementation phase of our strategic planning, it is important that we recognize Henry’s visionary role in the process.   We are delighted to appoint Jesse Rosen as the new president and chief executive officer of the League. Jesse’s remarkable work in leading the strategic planning and implementation process, as well as his collaborative style and extensive knowledge of the orchestra field make him the right choice to succeed Henry.   We couldn’t be more thrilled that he will lead the League and the orchestra field into a new era.”

During  Fogel’s tenure, the League’s fiscal health was restored, with balanced budgets for five consecutive years. Additionally, the organization launched a five-year, $25 million campaign to secure its financial future, developed a comprehensive strategic plan that focuses the League’s priorities to better help its member orchestras in their work, and significantly strengthened its national board of directors.

After he steps down as President, Fogel will give 50% of his time in service to the League’s member orchestras in an ambassadorial role through September, 2009, and will continue to actively support the organization’s fund-raising efforts. Additionally, he will continue to be involved in the League’s conductor training programs.

Henry Fogel remarked, “I am so pleased to pass the proverbial baton to Jesse, and from his extraordinarily thorough and creative work with the strategic plan, I know that he will be a tremendous leader for the League as it embarks on its bold, new future. Quite simply, I couldn’t leave the organization in better hands. It’s been no secret that my passion has been working in the field to help the orchestra community at large, and I look forward to continuing my League association and devoting my work to that mission.”

Jesse Rosen, who joined the League’s staff in 1998, is the League’s executive vice president and managing director, and oversees the programmatic output of the League’s programs and services to the orchestra field, including learning and leadership opportunities such as seminars, conferences and meetings; the resource center, which collects and disseminates data about the orchestra field; government affairs, which provides advocacy services; communications, which links via an award-winning magazine and email alerts a vital network of constituents with information they can use.   He has been instrumental in the creation of new programs such as Music Alive, the American Conducting Fellows Program, and the Ford Made in America Program, and has been the principal architect of content for the League’s annual national conferences.

Rosen was also responsible for instigating and executing the League’s intensive, two-year strategic planning process, more comprehensive than any such effort in the League’s 64-year history, which involved extensive consultation throughout the field and beyond. From that process a strategic direction has emerged that will enable the League to transform itself to better help orchestras meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Jesse Rosen added, “American orchestras are experiencing a period of great ingenuity and creativity, making this a wonderful moment to be leading the League. The energy in the field, the generosity and wisdom of the League board, and the talent and dedication of the League staff all combine to make this a very exciting opportunity. I am grateful for the chance to build on Henry’s remarkable accomplishments.”

Jesse Rosen

Jesse Rosen is executive vice president and managing director of the American Symphony Orchestra League, where he has worked since 1998. Prior to his work at the League, Rosen served as general manager of the Seattle Symphony, where he was responsible for orchestra operations, electronic media, touring and special projects. Previously, Rosen served as executive vice president and managing director of the American Composers Orchestra in New York City. He also served as orchestra manager of the New York Philharmonic and as vice president of programs for Affiliate Artists, Inc., where he developed and launched the Seaver Conducting Award and managed the Exxon/Arts Endowment Conductors Program. A trombonist, Rosen received his bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music and pursued graduate studies at The Juilliard School.

Henry Fogel

Henry Fogel was appointed to the position of President and CEO of the American Symphony Orchestra League in July, 2003. Prior to that, he was President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association for eighteen years, and was Chairman of the Board of the American Symphony Orchestra League from 2001-2003. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Avery Fisher Artist Program, and the Board of the College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He teaches a course in orchestral studies at Roosevelt University in Chicago. He is a record reviewer for Fanfare magazine, and has contributed to the book Contemporary Composers, and to The Harvard Dictionary of Music.   Fogel served as Executive Director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. from 1981 to 1985, and Orchestra Manager of the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to1981.   Fogel has received honorary doctorate degrees from Northwestern University, the Curtis Institute of Music, Columbia College in Chicago, and Roosevelt University in Chicago. In 1999, Fogel received a Cultural Leadership Citation from Yale University’s School of Music for service to the cultural life of the nation.   He has been named by Business Week magazine as one of the five best managers of cultural organizations in the United States.

American Symphony Orchestra League

Founded in 1942, and chartered by Congress in 1962, the American Symphony Orchestra League leads, encourages, and supports America’s orchestras while communicating to the public the essential value and cultural importance of orchestras in their communities and the vitality of the music they perform. The League provides a wealth of services, meaningful information, learning and leadership opportunities, and grass-roots advocacy to its diverse membership, which encompasses nearly 1,000 member symphony, chamber, youth, and collegiate orchestras of all sizes, and links a national network of thousands of instrumentalists, conductors, managers, board members, volunteers, staff members, and business partners. Visit www.symphony.org to learn more.