Vice President of Artistic Planning, Minnesota Orchestra

The Minnesota Orchestra welcomes nominations and applications for the position of Vice President of Artistic Planning, available in early Spring, 2021.

The Organization
https://minnesotaorchestra.org/

The Minnesota Orchestra ranks among America’s top symphonic ensembles, with a distinguished history of acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning recordings, radio broadcasts and educational engagement programs; and a visionary commitment to building the orchestra repertoire of tomorrow. 

The mission of the Minnesota Orchestra is “to enrich, inspire, and serve our community as an enduring symphony orchestra internationally recognized for its artistic excellence.”  The Orchestra is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization that honors and reflects the community it serves, welcomes and instills diversity across the ecosystem, and nurtures an equitable and inclusive culture.  The Orchestra strives to have an impact on the community and the world through a commitment to extraordinary artistry, inspiring people of all ages to learn and listen, and growing a keystone for Minnesota’s exceptional cultural community.

The Minnesota Orchestra performs about 175 concerts in a typical year.  Along with a core series of classical concerts, the Minnesota Orchestra presents Live at Orchestra Hall, a lineup of concerts by a broad spectrum of artists in genres that include popular music, jazz, film scores, and non-Western music.  For more than 30 years, the Orchestra has concluded each season with a much-loved outdoor summer music festival.  The Minnesota Orchestra connects children and adults through family concerts and educational programs including Young People’s Concerts, a series that marked its centennial in 2011.  The Young People’s Concerts are now online webcasts viewed around the globe in hundreds of cities and more than 20 countries.

During the pandemic, the Minnesota Orchestra has launched a digital concert series, This is Minnesota Orchestra, that shares regular live performances with TV, radio and streaming audiences. These performances remain available for on-demand streaming at minnesotaorchestra.org and serve to connect the organization to a broad public. 

The Orchestra’s home is the 2,000-seat Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis and its concerts reach audiences of more than 300,000 annually.  Osmo Vänskä has been Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra since 2003.  Michelle Miller Burns was appointed President and CEO in 2018.

The Opportunity 

Working closely with the President and CEO, the Music Director, the Artistic Advisory Committee, and the Artistic Planning Group, the Vice President of Artistic Planning will take a leadership role in the design and execution of the Orchestra’s overall artistic program as the Minnesota Orchestra moves through the pandemic, is again able to offer live symphonic performances and events in the community, and continues to develop global impact through digital platforms as well as international touring.

The Vice President of Artistic Planning will have the opportunity to collaborate with highly skilled, creative, and dedicated musicians who are thoroughly vested in the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in considering programming and audience engagement.  The Vice President of Artistic Planning will strategize with staff and musician colleagues about new digital concert opportunities for the organization, such as the creation of a made-for-digital concert series. As part of the Minnesota Orchestra’s senior staff team, the Vice President of Artistic Planning will have the opportunity to keep artistic vision, goals, and objectives at the center of organizational decision-making. 

In December 2018, Osmo Vänskä announced that he would conclude his remarkable tenure as Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra in 2022.  The Vice President of Artistic Planning will play a significant role in the identification and recruitment of the Orchestra’s next Music Director. 

The Position

Reflecting the vision of the Music Director as the artistic leader of the organization, the Vice President of Artistic Planning is responsible and accountable for the development and execution of the overall artistic program and ensures that programming is consistent with the mission, goals, and values of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Working with the President and CEO, the Music Director, the Artistic Planning Group, the Artistic Advisory Committee, guest conductors, resident artists, and staff, the Vice President of Artistic Planning   prepares multi-year plans for all Minnesota Orchestra concerts.  The programs of the Orchestra are designed to attract, inspire, and excite concert audiences.  Working within approved budget guidelines, the Vice President determines artists and repertoire for classical concerts, educational concerts, special concerts, tours, broadcasts, recordings, and all other musical events.  The Vice President reports directly to the President and CEO and manages the Director of Artistic Planning, the Artistic Planning Manager and Executive Assistant to the Music Director, and the Artistic Planning Coordinator.

The Vice President of Artistic Planning leads the Artistic Planning Group and ensures effective internal communication and transparency about all artistic matters throughout the organization.  S/he meets with the Music Director and Artistic Advisory Committee regularly to receive recommendations and to discuss repertoire selections, guest conductors, soloists, and other programming detail, such as thematic concerts and festivals.  S/he oversees the engagement of all artists, including guest conductors, composers, soloists, and other ensembles.

The Vice President cultivates and stewards relationships with performing artists and their managers and serves as an artistic collaborator and resource for soloists, guest artists, and members of the Orchestra.  S/he stays informed about talented conductors, composers, vocalists, and instrumentalists, especially those at the start of their professional careers.  S/he oversees the Minnesota Orchestra’s commissioning program.

The Vice President serves as an enthusiastic and knowledgeable spokesperson for the Minnesota Orchestra on matters related to programming.  S/he participates in presentations to donors, audiences and external constituents.  The Vice President works closely with the Marketing and Communications departments in order to find connections between programming and audiences.  S/he reviews and edits programming-related printed material and engages with the digital programs team to advise on artistic content.  In addition, the Vice President serves as a resource to all other departments, including Development, Operations, and Education and Community Engagement, by providing expert knowledge and research. 

The Vice President serves as a member of the President and CEO’s senior staff team, which also includes the Vice Presidents of Advancement, Marketing and Guest Services, Finance and Administration, and Orchestra Administration and the Directors of Human Resources and Communications. 

The leadership of the Minnesota Orchestra believes every employee is essential to the success of the organization and is critical to accomplishing the Orchestra’s mission.  The organization’s shared values include: respect for each other as individuals; confidence in one another; and a genuine desire to actively listen and collaborate with each other.  The Vice President of Artistic Planning will demonstrate these values and hold themself and their direct reports accountable, creating an environment that inspires a high level of commitment and performance.