(Tucson, AZ) The Board of Trustees at Tucson Symphony Orchestra announce that Santa Barbara-based transition expert and veteran arts leader Kathryn R. Martin has been appointed as Interim President & CEO, effective March 29, 2019.
“Kathryn’s appointment comes at a very exciting time for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra,” said TSO Board Chair Autumn van den Berg. “This season the Board signed a three-year contract with our extraordinary professional musicians, we are thrilled to have extended Music Director José Luis Gomez’s contract through 2024, and moved by the outpouring of community support during our 90th Anniversary season – all making it possible to envision new ways to engage and impact our community.”
In the Interim President & CEO role, Martin replaces Tom McKinney. Martin will be onsite beginning March 29, and will build upon the organization’s momentum as she leads the organization forward.
“The Tucson Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to serving and transforming its community through music, and I look forward to partnering with TSO Trustees, Maestro Gomez, staff, symphony musicians, and members of the community, to leverage this leadership transition into opportunities for continued growth and success.”
Passionate about helping organizations and individuals create the impact they envision, Kathryn R. Martin is a leadership coach and a frequent speaker and author on navigating personal and professional change.
As one of the top professional arts and culture Interim CEO’s and Transition Strategists in the United States, Martin has led nine arts and culture organizations through transition – most recently serving as Interim Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Symphony, Interim President & CEO of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Milwaukee, and Executive Director of the Linda Pace Foundation in San Antonio. Kathryn has consulted with over 150 arts and culture organizations, and has supervised, trained and coached Interim leaders placed in organizations throughout the country. Before launching her business in 2016, Kathryn served as Vice President at Arts Consulting Group for 12 years, was Managing Director and SummerFest La Jolla General Manager at the La Jolla Music Society from 1998 to 2003, increasing contributed income by 160% and earned income by 103% over the four years, and oversaw capital improvement projects and more than 250 events annually as the Production and Facilities Manager at the Department of Music, University of California San Diego.
Kathryn is a classically trained violist, with a degree in Arts Management from Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, and currently serves on the Board of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras and the Santa Barbara Symphony.
About Tucson Symphony Orchestra
Now celebrating its 90th season, the Tucson Symphony Orchestra is the longest continuously performing professional arts organization in Arizona. The TSO’s mission is to engage, educate and transform the community through live musical experiences of the highest quality, envisioning a community where music is the catalyst that brings people together across all boundaries for inspired living. Under the artistic leadership of Music Director, José Luis Gomez, the TSO impacts more than 120,000 lives each year, infuses millions into Southern Arizona’s economy annually, and attracts over 75 professional musicians from across the country to live, perform, and teach in Tucson and throughout the state. Programming, Engagement, Partnership and Learning are the TSO’s pillars. Its diverse offerings include the Classic, MasterWorks and Pops series, free Just for Kids concerts, Free Community Concert and many special performances. TSO’s nationally-recognized education programs are present in 120 schools from Southern Pinal County to the Arizona – Mexico border reaching over 40,000 students each year. The TSO partners with a variety of regional organizations to deepen its engagement with the community. Maestro Gomez conducts orchestras all over the world, serving as Tucson’s cultural ambassador to audiences on every continent.
Contact: Terry Marshall, Public Relations Manager, 520.620.9158
