Gilbert Hetherwick Named President of SONY BMG's Classical Division

NEW YORK (SONY BMG) - Gilbert Hetherwick has been named President of SONY BMG's Classical Division, it was announced today by Michael Smellie, Chief Operating Officer for the company, to whom he reports.

In his new role, Mr. Hetherwick will oversee all of SONY BMG's classical music labels comprising such prominent labels as RCA Red Seal, Sony Classical, Odyssey, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and Arte Nova. He will be based at the company's New York headquarters.

"Gilbert's impressive experience, unique understanding of the classical music market and strong marketing background make him the ideal person to position SONY BMG's Classical Division as the future market leader," said Mr. Smellie. "I am confident that the extraordinary classical legacies that SONY and BMG bring together will thrive under Gilbert's leadership."

Mr. Hetherwick most recently served as Vice President/General Manager, BMG Classics, since 2003. In this role he was responsible for the U.S. operations of the BMG Classics labels. Prior to joining BMG, he was General Manager of Angel Records/EMI Classics U.S. He has also held high-level managerial positions at Sony Classical and Telarc Records.

Peter Gelb, the former President of Sony Classical, is currently in discussions with SONY BMG regarding a short-term role prior to his assuming his role with the New York Met as previously announced.

SONY BMG's Classical Division is home to a broad array of legendary classical catalogues as well as major artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Joshua Bell, John Williams, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sequentia, "The 5 Browns," Evgeny Kissin, Ramon Vargas, Nikolaj Znaider and many more.