New York Philharmonic announces leadership changes

The New York Philharmonic board of directors, has announced the appointment of Gary Ginstling to the role of executive director, effective from November this year. Ginstling will hold the role from November 2022 to 30 June 2023, before becoming the orchestra’s president and CEO.

Ginstling will succeed Deborah Borda who has held the role twice, once in the 1990s and again since 2017. She will remain president and CEO until Ginstling’s succession before becoming executive advisor to the president and board of directors, starting July 2023.

Board co-chairmen Peter May and Oscar Tang stated: ‘Throughout our extensive search, Gary embodied all the qualities that we were seeking… Deborah has been a remarkable and inspired leader during a period of unprecedented challenges. We feel so fortunate that she will continue on with us in a newly created role.’

This staggered changeover is part of the New York Philharmonic’s new succession plan going forward. Borda said: ‘The mark of a strong institution is its ability to plan for the future. The creation of a thoughtful succession plan and an executive team to ensure its success is a ‘must’ as we move our beloved institution into a new era.’

Ginstling holds a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University, a master of music degree from The Juilliard School, and a master of business administration from The Anderson School at UCLA.

With a long-standing career as an orchestra leader, he will retain the role of executive director of Washington DC-based National Symphony Orchestra which he has held since 2017. As well as holding the role of chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and the role of general manager of the Cleveland Orchestra for five years each, Ginstling also served as director of communications and external affairs for the San Francisco Symphony and as executive director of the Berkeley Symphony.

Ginstling said: ‘The NY Phil was my ‘hometown’ orchestra growing up and played a huge role in instilling in me a love of this art form. It is a tremendous privilege to be joining under Deborah Borda’s visionary leadership, and to transition into the President and CEO role next summer. The Philharmonic’s future has never looked brighter with the reopening of David Geffen Hall, and I cannot wait to be a part of it.’

You can find out more about the New York Philharmonic here.