CSO Appoints Ahmad Mayes as New Director of CE&L

CINCINNATI - The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) announced Ahmad Mayes as the Director of Community Engagement and Learning (CE&L), effective June 22. He comes to Cincinnati having served most recently as the Interim Director of Education and Community Engagement for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

The Director of CE&L helps deliver on the CSO's mission and vision of profoundly engaging audiences and community. In this highly collaborative role, Mayes will work internally and externally to achieve institutional objectives, including increasing the CSO's impact in the community, deepening relationships with audiences and community, and creating engaging experiences around music that amplify the work of the CSO and its partner organizations.

The CE&L Department currently serves over 80,000 people annually through a diverse array of programs such as Project ROAM (Reaching Out to Amateur Musicians) and In Your Neighborhood, partnerships with community organizations like MYCincinnati, and concert offerings at Music Hall including Classical Roots, Young People's Concerts and Lollipops Family Concerts. The CE&L Department also manages the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestras. .

Prior to serving as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's (ASO) Interim Director of Community Engagement, Mayes spent four years as the ASO's Manager of Community Programs. With over ten years of experience in music education and arts administration he has become a strong advocate for the advancement of orchestras and music education. In his role with the ASO, Mayes worked to connect the orchestra to a broader community by ensuring access to the life-enriching benefits of live instrumental music through local, state and nationally recognized community partnerships. Mayes' previous positions include serving as the Director of Operations & Artistic Administration for Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA), where he played a vital role in the launch of the El Sistema inspired YOSA Music Learning Center. Before then he was the Assistant Production Manager of the Sarasota Orchestra.

Mayes was a member of 2010 American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy and was a member of the 2015 Arts Leaders of Metro Atlanta class. He is a graduate of Florida State University where he completed degrees in Music Education and Arts Administration. He plays the horn and is relocating to Cincinnati with his wife Angelica, daughter Isabel, and their "cockeranian" dog Lola.