Welz Kauffman Named Old Town School Of Folk Music Executive Director & CEO

The Board of Directors of the Old Town School of Folk Music has named highly regarded music and performing arts leader Welz Kauffman as its next Executive Director and CEO. Kauffman's appointment follows a national search led by Diversified Search Group.  His first official day as the Old Town School's next leader will be Monday, September 30, 2024.

“We are thrilled to have Welz as the next Executive Director & CEO of the Old Town School,” said Kate Tomford, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Old Town School of Folk Music. “Welz's enthusiasm for music in all its forms is infectious. He brings not just a passion for music and dance, but tremendous depth and breadth of experience as a highly accomplished leader of arts organizations in Chicago and around the nation. We are excited to welcome him back to Chicago to lead the Old Town School and our community into a new chapter of musical discovery and growth.”

Kauffman is perhaps best known to Chicagoans as the long-time President & CEO of the Ravinia Festival where he led nearly two decades of transformational growth.  During his tenure, he rejuvenated and expanded educational programs through Ravinia's Reach, Teach, Play initiative and its acclaimed Steans Music Institute.  He also substantially diversified Ravinia's musical offerings across more than 150 annual performances, which included longstanding collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as well as bookings such as Bob Dylan, Common, Lauryn Hill, Gilberto Santa Rosa, and Los Tigres del Norte. In addition, Kauffman commissioned original works from such diverse artists as Lita Grier, Bill T Jones, Ramsey Lewis, Ricardo Lorenz, Bobby McFerrin, and Nico Muhly. During his tenure, Ravinia was home to the US and Midwest premieres of the first Zulu opera, Princess Magogo, as well as major celebrations of its 100th anniversary and the Lincoln Bicentennial.

In addition to expanding and diversifying Ravinia's concert and educational programming, Kauffman also led substantial growth in revenues and donors. Along the way, he significantly enhanced Ravinia's infrastructure for musicians and audiences alike, including the enhancement of performance facilities, food and beverage offerings, and the creation of the Ravinia Music Box Experience Center.

“I could not be more honored to collaborate with the Old Town School's teaching artists, staff, board, and community as we guide and grow the next chapter of this beloved institution,” said Kauffman. “Music is a universal language and a powerful connector across communities and cultures. We need this language now more than ever. The Old Town School is a Chicago treasure, where music-making and community-building go hand in hand.”

Previously, Kauffman served as Director of Artistic Planning for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and as the Artistic Administrator for the New York Philharmonic, where he managed all programming, including major collaborations, recording projects, parks concerts, and Young People's Concerts. As General Manager of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Kauffman collaborated with acclaimed musician Bobby McFerrin to create and launch the organization's highly regarded education program, CONNECT. Earlier in his career, Kauffman also served as Artistic Administrator for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, General Manager of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Public Affairs Associate for the J. Paul Getty Trust.

Since stepping down from Ravinia in 2020, Kauffman has made his home in Tucson, Arizona where he has served as a consultant to performing arts organizations, including the Music Institute of Chicago and True Concord Voices & Orchestra, where he also served as Managing Director from 2020 to 2021.

Kauffman is the son of educators and is a classically trained pianist with a love of music across folk and classical traditions. He attended Occidental College in Los Angeles and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Kurt Weill Foundation for Music, the Rachmaninoff Foundation, and Broadway & Vine.

He succeeds Jim Newcomb, who announced his decision to step down as Executive Director and CEO at the end of last year. Under Jim's outstanding leadership over the past five years, the Old Town School successfully navigated the Covid pandemic, established the first-ever union agreement with faculty, and developed innovative programs that build bridges within the community and strengthen the organization both financially and operationally.

Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music is the largest community school of the arts in the U.S. and a non-profit organization committed to bringing people together to learn, create, perform, and enjoy music and dance. Founded in 1957, the Old Town School of Folk Music provides a wide range of music, dance, and arts courses to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. Whatever one's interest, the Old Town School provides broad access to more than 700 accredited weekly class offerings, private lessons, and over 400 concerts and community events per year both in-person and online.

The Old Town School opened its Lincoln Square facility in 1998 and expanded in 2012. The Old Town School operates two campuses located in Chicago's Lincoln Square and Lincoln Park neighborhoods that include world-class concert halls, classrooms, an award-winning music store, a café and resource center. Children's classes are also held at several suburban satellite locations and in programs with Chicago Public Schools, community centers, other arts organizations and many more. More information about classes, upcoming events and history is available at oldtownschool.org.

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