The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Announces Declan McGovern as New Vice President of Orchestra Operations

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announced today that Declan McGovern will join the organization as vice president of orchestra operations and general manager in September.

McGovern comes to the Pittsburgh Symphony with experience at two leading symphony orchestras in Ireland - RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin and Ulster Orchestra in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He served as general manager at RTÉ from 2012 to 2014 and as chief executive for the Ulster Orchestra from 2010 to 2012. He began his career as a producer and editor for Classic FM in London and the BBC in Belfast and London.

"Declan has extensive experience working on a daily basis with professional musicians and understands their issues and concerns, as well as the many challenges facing symphony orchestras today," said James Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. "We are thrilled that he is bringing his skills, experience and record of success here to Pittsburgh."

As vice president of orchestra operations and general manager, McGovern will lead the symphony's concert productions, touring, media and recording, scheduling, labor relations and contracts, personnel management and artistic administration of popular programming.

For more than 116 years, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has been known for its artistic excellence. The Pittsburgh Symphony has a rich history of the world's finest conductors and musicians. This tradition was furthered in fall 2008, when Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck became music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. With a long and distinguished history of touring both domestically and overseas since 1900, the Pittsburgh Symphony is critically acclaimed as one of the world's greatest orchestras. They have made more than 35 international tours, and recently returned from their 2013 European Festivals Tour, where enthralled audiences filled the PSO's concerts in Grafenegg, Berlin, Bucharest, Paris, Düsseldorf,Frankfurt, Lucerne and Bonn.