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January 24, 2024Albany Symphony Hires Interim Executive Director with Local Connection
The two-time GRAMMY Award-winning Albany Symphony is proud to announce the appointment of David Hyslop as interim executive director. Hyslop’s impressive resume includes 58 years in the orchestra industry, acting as the former CEO to the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, as well as the interim executive director for more than 15 musical organizations.
“The Board of Directors of the Albany Symphony are thrilled that David Hyslop has agreed to be our new interim executive director as we look toward the future in 2024,” said Faith Ann Takes, Albany Symphony board chair. “His extensive career working with symphony orchestras around the country coupled with his knowledge and connections of the industry make him the ideal candidate as we continue to search for a permanent executive director.”
Hyslop has spent 32 of his 58-year career as the chief executive officer for three of the nation’s top symphony orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra (1991-2003), St. Louis Symphony (1978-1991), and Oregon Symphony (1972-1978). Since 2004, Hyslop has spearheaded consulting projects throughout the country. His many consulting projects have included executive searches, strategic planning, development feasibility studies for endowment campaigns, and the Wheaton Grand Theater redevelopment and business planning project in Illinois.
“We are so fortunate to welcome David Hyslop as our interim executive director. He is one of the great figures in the world of orchestra management, and we are thrilled to have a person of such broad experience and insight guide us through this very important transition period. He is also a dear friend, with whom I worked extensively at the Minnesota Orchestra many years ago,” said David Alan Miller, Albany Symphony music director and conductor. “We are deeply honored that David has agreed to help us build a strong future for the Albany Symphony.”
Hyslop has received many honors throughout his career. Among these, a Minnesota Orchestra Subscription Concert was dedicated to him in his final season with the Minnesota Orchestra.
“The David J. Hyslop Trumpet Chair” was Endowed in Perpetuity by the St. Louis Symphony. Fanfare for D.H. was commissioned by the St. Louis Symphony to honor Hyslop’s 10th Anniversary with the Symphony and was composed by Pulitzer Award winning composer Joseph Schwantner. Additionally, Hyslop was awarded a Martha Baird Rockefeller Grant in Performing Arts Management by the League of American Orchestras. Most recently, Hyslop was awarded a lifetime achievement award by his alma mater, Ithaca College.
“I look forward to working with Albany Symphony and helping them as they move through this transition period,” said David Hyslop. “It’s also very exciting to be fostering my relationships back in the Capital Region, where I was born and spent many years before going off to college.”
