Executive Director

The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (www.lpomusic.com)

Formed in 1991, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is the only full-time musician-governed and collaboratively operated orchestra in the United States and the only full-time professional orchestra in the state of Louisiana. The LPO is a Group 3 orchestra with a pre-pandemic budget of $5.5 million serving an annual audience of approximately 60,000 in one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the nation.

LPO offerings have included a full 36-week season with more than 100 performances, including classics, light classics, pops, education, family, park, and community engagement concerts in New Orleans and across a multi-parish area. The LPO’s education and community engagement work encompasses partnerships with K-12 educational institutions, Louisiana universities, and communities in a twelve-parish area as part of its mission to transform people and communities through music.

The LPO has a tri-partite organizational governance structure comprised of 67 musicians, a full-time administrative staff of 17, and a Board of Trustees composed of 43 members (12 musicians, 26 community members, and five voting ex-officio representatives) who are elected by the musicians.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the orchestra has continued many of its pre-pandemic activities, while also creating exciting new initiatives in order to expand visibility in the City of New Orleans and surrounding region. With the assistance of federal PPP support, continued incentive support from Louisiana Economic Development, and generous contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations, we have continued to perform regularly during our 2020-21 season, including a 26-week subscriber/member series of two virtual concert programs, Orpheum Sessions and Suite Sundays, and several outdoor in-person chamber programs, including Music in the Museums and Subscriber Serenades. Our educational programs, Soul Strings and Music for Life, have also continued during this unprecedented pandemic era (see our website for additional details). The LPO is actively planning a future that maintains our governance structure, pre-pandemic performance schedule, and multiple educational activities while also expanding the diversity of our programming to reach a broader, more inclusive audience.

The Opportunity

The LPO’s Executive Director will join a dynamic team of talented and dedicated professional orchestra administrators and musicians whose work makes possible performances, education programs, and community engagement activities of the highest quality. The LPO is based in New Orleans, Louisiana; one of the world’s most fascinating cities. The orchestra is deeply involved in the rich musical culture of the city, presenting not only classical symphonic repertoire but also opera, ballet, pops, and jazz concerts. It is the largest arts organization in the state of Louisiana. Steeped in a history of influences from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa, and beyond, it is a brilliant mosaic of culture, food, and music. The New Orleans metropolitan area has an estimated population of 1.167 million people and is the 46th largest city in the United States.

Position Summary

The Executive Director will be charged with stewarding the organization’s mission while helping to craft the next stage of the organization’s growth. Working closely with the board, music director, musicians, community, and staff, the Executive Director will work to deepen the LPO’s organizational capacity to attract resources and funding, continue to make its work more visible to the broader community, and ensure its ongoing relevance and sustainability. The Executive Director reports to the Board of Trustees and is a 52-week contract with a generous benefits package and salary commensurate with experience.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To position the organization for the future, the Executive Director will be expected to:

• Represent the LPO and develop strategic relationships with diverse stakeholders including government, community institutions, corporations, funders, and media.
• Identify, cultivate, and maintain relationships with major donors and key institutional funders.
• Work closely with the Director of Development to recruit individual and corporate support.
• Oversee the finances and solvency of the orchestra to assure fiscal correctness and financial health
• Articulate and execute the organization’s vision for continued growth.
• Work with the LPO’s board, musicians, and staff to craft the strategic plan for the next 3-5 years, keeping in mind the goals of pursuing organizational health and sustainability and deepening programmatic impact.
• Actively work with the Board of Directors to diversify and expand its members, to ensure its active involvement and support for a comprehensive program.
• Oversee financial and marketing plans for continued organizational growth.
• Align LPO resources with the organization’s vision and mission in order to maximize productivity and maintain program quality while ensuring the financial health of the organization.
• Attract, retain, and actively develop an energetic, talented, and diverse administrative staff committed to the values and practices of the organization’s core.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following skills and confidence needed to represent the organization, shouldering the responsibility of implementing strategic direction, and initiate a progressive vision for the future:

• A bachelor’s degree is required and a master’s degree in business, arts administration, nonprofit management, or related field is preferred.
• Proven success in fundraising, asking for and closing gifts, and building and maintaining long-term relationships with major donors.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Creative leadership and management experience.
• Demonstrated experience in managing multiple and highly complex donor and prospect relationships.
• Experience managing teams of various backgrounds including full-time and part-time staff, as well as both entry-level and professional level employees.
• Experience developing and implementing clear budget goals and effectively executing an annual budget.
• Experience conceptualizing, managing execution of, and evaluating strategic initiatives.

Traits and Characteristics

• Passion and appreciation for the arts, and a dedication to the role of the arts in the broader community.
• A strong presence and high level of comfort in interactions with community leaders, businesses, government, philanthropy, and the arts.
• An engaging, positive, and dynamic personality with the ability to motivate and ignite passion in diverse stakeholders.
• A history of successful fundraising.
• A collaborative and influential leadership style.
• Leadership through collaboration and creative problem-solving with a diverse team.
• The ability to negotiate and navigate organizational direction while maintaining clear, decisive, proactive, and fair treatment of others.

Applications

Please submit a cover letter that describes your interest and qualifications for the position. Send with a resumé and the names of three professional references.

All applications will be treated as confidential. References will not be contacted without applicant’s knowledge and agreement. Electronic submissions are preferred (MS Word or Adobe Acrobat attachments only, please).

For priority consideration, please submit application materials by March 1, 2021.

The LPO provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, genetic information, service in the military, or any other protected classification.