Minnesota Orchestra Names Brent Assink Interim President and CEO

The Minnesota Orchestra has named Brent Assink, former executive director of the San Francisco Symphony and prior president of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, to serve as its Interim President and CEO. Assink will take over from Michelle Miller Burns, who has led the Orchestra since 2018 and departs in mid-September for the top administrative role with the Dallas Symphony. Based in Pasadena, Assink will split his time between Minnesota and California and begin his new role on Monday, September 9.

“Brent Assink is one of the great leaders of the orchestral industry,” said Minnesota Orchestra Board Chair Nancy Lindahl. “Having such a respected and experienced hand on the wheel during this time of transition will serve the Minnesota Orchestra well. We are excited for Brent to work collaboratively with Board, musicians and staff in helping us advance momentum forward as we enter Thomas Søndergård’s second season as music director.” Lindahl has launched a search for a permanent successor to Burns.

A native of Washington, Brent Assink served as executive director of the San Francisco
Symphony (SFS) for eighteen years (1999 to 2017), a time period during which the symphony significantly grew its artistic profile and community engagement. Assink’s creative partnership with then-Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas brought forward celebrated projects such as the American Mavericks festivals, the Keeping Score multi-media series and SFS Media, the first orchestra-run record label in the U.S. Leading the organization through the financial challenges of the 2008 recession, he also oversaw the largest endowment fundraising campaign in the Symphony’s history.

Prior to joining the SFS, Assink spent five years (1994-1999) as president of The Saint Paul
Chamber Orchestra, during which time he restored the orchestra to stability after a fiscal crisis, launched new education and community programs, and engaged Bobby McFerrin as creative chair. Fourteen years earlier, Assink had launched his orchestral career at the SPCO, working in a variety of positions and ultimately serving as general manager for three years, before being appointed to the same role at the San Francisco Symphony.

“Two strands have been consistently present throughout my career: a deep appreciation for orchestras and particular gratitude for the Twin Cities community where I was shaped and mentored,” said Assink. “So, it is a joy to return to Minnesota and serve this outstanding orchestra at a pivotal time in its history. I look forward to working with the Board, Thomas Søndergård, the musicians, and administration to further advance the Minnesota Orchestra’s service to its community and the state, whose name it proudly carries.”

Assink’s connections to Minnesota extend to his schooling as well. Receiving a B.A. in
Business Administration and Piano Performance from Dordt University in Iowa, he went on to earn his M.A. in Musicology from the University of Minnesota. Most recently, he served as executive director of The Fuller Foundation and chief of philanthropy for the Fuller Theological Seminary from 2017 to 2021.

The Grammy Award-winning Minnesota Orchestra is known for acclaimed performances in its home state and around the world; award-winning educational programs; and a commitment to building the orchestral repertoire of tomorrow, all based on the belief that music is for everyone. Each year, Minnesota Orchestra concerts and recordings are seen and heard by more than three million people via television, radio, digital streaming, and on-demand platforms. The upcoming season marks Music Director Thomas Søndergård’s second with the Orchestra and features him conducting a two-week January Nordic Festival, the return of the Future Classics concert spotlighting top next-generation orchestral composers, and opera-in-concert performances of Puccini’s Turandot. It is also a season in which the organization celebrates the 50th anniversary of its downtown Minneapolis home, Orchestra Hall.