PENTATONE appoints Sean Hickey managing director

Classical music label PENTATONE has announced the appointment of composer Sean Hickey to the role of managing director. He succeeds Simon M. Eder, who joined international artist management agency Intermusica as managing director, business development earlier this year.

Having graduated from Wayne State University in Michigan, Hickey began his career in the music industry in 1993 and has most recently worked with Naxos of America in the role of senior vice-president, sales and business development for over 19 years.

Hickey said: ‘No classical label has undergone as swift and as far-reaching a transformation over the past several years; I look forward to meeting the challenge of developing PENTATONE’s further transformation in this next step of its evolution… I believe strongly that the coming years present some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing any label or broader music organization.’

As well as being a lecturer and published poet, Hickey is also a composer and has been commissioned by organizations including the Lincoln Center and the Fine Arts Quartet. His first commercial recording was released in 2005 on Naxos American Classics, with further releases in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2019 with a variety of labels.

Hickey’s predecessor, Eder, who joined PENTATONE in 2013 and held the role since 2017, said: ‘Not only has [Hickey] known the label since its early years, but with his extensive distribution and industry knowledge he has supported the international growth of the label over the last two decades. With his unique, entrepreneurial spirit, combined with a profound artist soul, the label could absolutely not be in better hands.’

Founded in the Netherlands in 2001 by three former Philips Classics executives, PENTATONE went on to win both the Gramophone and ICMA Label of the Year awards. You can find out more about PENTATONE here.