Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society appoints chief executive

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society has today announced the appointment of Vanessa Reed as its new chief executive. Reed will take up the position on 2 June, succeeding Michael Eakin as chief executive who retires at the end of March after 16 years in the role.

As the first woman ever appointed to the role, Reed will lead the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company, as well as the organisation’s engagement programme. She brings to the role experience from her successful career as a music executive as well as more than 16 years of experience as CEO of national music organisations in the UK and the US.

Reed said: ‘My goal is to ensure that we, as one of the world’s oldest music societies, continue to evolve and thrive as we embark on our next imaginative chapter. This includes serving more of the city region’s musicians and young people through the planned “Abbey Road of the North” studios and tapping into Liverpool’s international brand for the benefit of our orchestra, led by our dynamic Chief Conductor, Domingo Hindoyan. I can’t wait to join Domingo and the Liverpool Philharmonic’s outstanding musicians, staff, board, and supporters to make all of this happen and to enjoy lots of live music in Liverpool with the audiences we welcome to our performances.’

Reed’s new appointment builds on her experience as a board member of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic (2016 – 2019), and on her connection to the city as an Ambassador for Liverpool University’s Yoko Ono Lennon Music Centre. Since 2019, she has been president and CEO of New Music USA, a New York based national resource which supports music creation and performance across the US.

Reed also brings to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society skills gained during her tenure as CEO of the PRS Foundation. During her time with the foundation, she launched the flagship New Music Biennial programme and brought the Momentum fund to Liverpool, collaborating with the City Council to support independent musicians and bands.

In the US, Reed accepted the Gold Baton award from the American League of Orchestras for New Music USA’s services to orchestras, while in the UK she was third on BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour Power List 2018 and has received acknowledgements from Classical Next, SIM, The Ivors Academy, Music Week’s Women in Music and Leeds College of Music.