New York, NY (Top40 Charts) He is a best-of-both-worlds executive who fits with our needs in this dynamic, challenging arts environment.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announces the appointment of
Peter T. Kjome as President and CEO. Kjome currently serves as the President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony (GRS) and will assume his new duties on February 1, 2017.
"Peter is exactly the candidate we sought: a proven business leader who, as a classically trained musician, shares our commitment to artistic excellence," said Hilary Miller, chairman of the search committee and vice chairman of the board of directors. "He is a best-of-both-worlds executive who fits with our needs in this dynamic, challenging arts environment."
Acting president and CEO
Barbara Bozzuto will continue her work as board chair. "There's not a major orchestra in
America today that doesn't need to manage strong economic headwinds—a challenge compounded by the imperative of remaining faithful to an artistic vision," said Bozzuto. "In Peter, we have someone who has a track record of doing both."
"It is a privilege to have been selected to serve as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's next president," said Kjome. "The BSO is an extraordinary orchestra of international stature, with a remarkably strong connection to the Maryland community. I look forward to working with
Music Director Marin Alsop, the board of directors, musicians, staff, volunteers and the entire BSO family as we begin the orchestra's second century."
Kjome (pronounced "Cho-mee") leaves an orchestra with an impressive list of accomplishments. In addition to mounting a successful $40 million endowment campaign, the GRS reached several multi-year collective bargaining agreements with its musicians, including a five-year agreement signed in 2016. Under his leadership, the orchestra also selected Marcelo Lehninger as its 14th
Music Director orchestra in 2016, while developing and implementing strategic plans that enhanced its economic foundation.
"The BSO is a great orchestra and it deserves great leadership. I look forward to collaborating with
Peter Kjome—a musician himself with a deep appreciation for live symphonic music who is also a Kellogg School of Management-educated business leader," said Alsop. "In this economy, any orchestra, particularly a great orchestra, demands savvy leadership."
Prior to his BSO appointment, Kjome served as president and CEO of the second-largest performing arts organization in Michigan. He began his tenure with GRS in 2008. Kjome brought strong management and financial skills to the GRS, developed during his time at 3M Company, a leading global company based in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to that, Kjome performed as an oboist with GRS for eight years, building on a career that included performing as a substitute musician with the Cleveland Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony.
"I greatly appreciate the work of the search committee and am especially grateful to search committee chair Hilary Miller and board chair
Barbara Bozzuto for their commitment and the discussions we have had," said Kjome. "It will be an honor to build on the important achievements of my predecessor Paul Meecham as we refine our strategic objectives, strengthen our financial position, and build our family of audience members and donors."
Greg Mulligan, chair, BSO players committee, and a member of the search committee, commented, "We welcome
Peter Kjome to the BSO family, and we look forward to developing a compelling vision with him for how the BSO can achieve even higher artistry as we begin our second century. Peter's background as a professional oboist will ensure that he comes to Baltimore with the experience and knowledge of our wonderful art form and of musicians' needs, to help us present world class music to our loyal community of music lovers."
Kjome received his bachelor's degree from the Cleveland
Institute of
Music and his master's degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. At Kellogg, he majored in marketing and management and strategy, receiving the Maurice L. Rothschild Scholarship in recognition of his academic achievement and commitment to social enterprise. Active both personally and professionally,
Peter Kjome is a past chair of the Group 2 orchestras of the League of American Orchestras. In 2011, the League of American Orchestras presented Kjome with the Helen M. Thompson award for exceptional leadership.
Kjome was chosen by a 13-member search committee, consisting of directors and musicians, from an international pool of highly accomplished candidates.
About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Celebrating its centennial in 2016, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is recognized as one of America's most innovative orchestras and one of Maryland's most significant cultural organizations. Led by their dynamic and visionary
Music Director Marin Alsop, the Orchestra is internationally acclaimed and locally admired for its outstanding concerts, recordings, broadcasts, touring, and for its groundbreaking education and community outreach initiatives. The BSO annually performs for more than 350,000 community members throughout the
State of Maryland. Since 1982, its Baltimore home has been Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. In 2005, the BSO became the nation's first orchestra with year-round venues in two metropolitan areas with the opening of The
Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland. The BSO boasts trailblazing education and community programs designed for audiences of all ages, from a
Music Box Series for toddlers and concerts for schoolchildren and families, to comprehensive programs for aspiring young musicians and amateur adult musicians. The award-winning OrchKids program, launched by Marin Alsop and the BSO in 2008, provides education resources and fosters social change through the power of music for children in the city's communities.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is funded by operating grants from the Maryland
State Arts Council, the Baltimore County Commission on the Arts and Sciences, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, and the Maryland
State Department of Education.
