St. Louis Symphony Announces Senior Management Appointments & Promotions

Today, St. Louis Symphony President & CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard announced key senior management team appointments and promotions.

Erik Finley, a seasoned artistic and operations manager with major orchestras across the country, has been appointed Vice President, Artistic and Operations. Veteran strategic communications executive Adam Crane has been promoted to Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives. Amy Drummond, a recognized philanthropic leader with a track record of successful fundraising and stewardship campaigns, has been promoted to Vice President of Philanthropy.

Under Drummond's leadership, the St. Louis Symphony's Philanthropy Department also welcomes the appointments of Vicki Boutwell, Senior Director, Corporate Philanthropy; Kristin Lamprecht, Director of Stewardship and Events; Betsy Malinak, Senior Director, Individual Philanthropy; and Travis Sewell, Director of Operations, Philanthropy.

Additionally, Maureen Byrne and Eric Gaston have received promotions with expanded portfolios, as Director of Diversity and Community Affairs and Director of Artistic Administration respectively.

St. Louis Symphony President & CEO, Marie-Hélène Bernard said: "With this truly exceptional management team in place, our goals of reaching a growing audience and finding new and fresh ways to make music relevant here and around the world are attainable. Working alongside such a talented and committed group of colleagues is a joy and a privilege, and I am excited by all that we can accomplish together."

Erik Finley, Vice President, Artistic and Operations, will oversee artistic and orchestra operations. Finley began working with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra as Artistic Planning Consultant in March of 2017. Previously, he was Vice President of Artistic Administration at the Fort Worth Symphony, and head of operations and artistic planning at The Florida Orchestra. Since 2011, Finley has served as Orchestra Manager and in a variety of administrative roles at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. He began his career at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where he was a member of the artistic operations department.

Adam Crane, Senior Vice President of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives, will continue to oversee the St Louis Symphony's external affairs, community relations functions and strategic initiatives from the President's office. Prior to joining the St. Louis Symphony in 2008, Crane was the Director of Public Relations for the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. He also worked for several years in the record industry as a Product Manager at both Universal Music Group in New York City and Warner Music Group in LA. In 2010, Crane was included in the St. Louis Business Journal's "40 under 40" awards. He was also selected as one of 30 "Rising Stars in the Performing Arts" in 2012 by Musical America. Most recently, he was named one of Musical America's 30 Professionals of the Year (2015) - The Influencers. In addition to Crane's work with the St. Louis Symphony, he is Co-Founder and a member of the Board of Directors of Street Symphony, an LA based non-profit that promotes on-site outreach concerts for greatly underserved/incarcerated members of the community.

Amy Drummond, Vice President of Philanthropy, will lead the fundraising, stewardship and events, and sponsorships efforts of the St. Louis Symphony. Prior to joining the St. Louis Symphony in 2016, Drummond served as Senior Director, Major Gifts and Capital Projects at Washington University, overseeing facility fundraising and stewardship, principal gift proposal development, campaign marketing and publications, and staff management for multiple building projects. She also served as Development Director, Individual Giving with the St. Louis Art Museum for the recent $160 million expansion and endowment campaign.

Maureen Byrne, Director of Diversity and Community Affairs, will continue to work with representatives from various communities, organizations and neighborhoods, embracing differences as a strategic opportunity and promoting a culture of equity and inclusion through programming and diversity initiatives. Byrne's diverse experience will help shape her efforts to promote inclusion and make music accessible to people from all backgrounds. Byrne is the daughter of a U.S. Air Force family and was born in Germany. She is a first generation American, and holds dual citizenship in Ireland and the United States. Prior to joining the St. Louis Symphony staff in 2010, Byrne spent ten years arranging music, accompanying student orchestras, and organizing performance tours for primary and secondary school orchestras in the Parkway School District.

Eric Gaston, Director of Artistic Administration, will support artistic planning and manage activities in the Artistic Administration department to ensure the smooth operation of the department. The St. Louis native has been working with the orchestra since 1999. Gaston has managed the orchestra's contemporary chamber music series at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation for more than a decade. In addition to that, he has been a key contributor to diverse projects, including a season-long residency with S. Katy Tucker and critically acclaimed performances of Peter Grimes. Additionally, Gaston has overseen logistics for countless guest soloists and conductors. Trained as a violinist, Gaston still performs with the Union Avenue Opera.

Founded in 1880 and now in its 137th season, the St. Louis Symphony is the second-oldest orchestra in the country and widely considered one of the world's finest. Under the leadership of Music Director David Robertson, currently in his 12th season, the St. Louis Symphony strives for artistic excellence, educational impact and community connection while meeting its mission statement: enriching people's lives through the power of music. The Symphony presents a full season of classical programs and Live at Powell Hall concerts and hundreds of free education and community programs each year. Media partners include St. Louis Public Radio, 90.7 -KWMU, which broadcasts the Symphony's Saturday night subscription concerts live + The Nine Network, which regularly features St. Louis Symphony performances on its Night at the Symphony program. In addition, the St. Louis Symphony is known for its Grammy Award-winning recordings, Carnegie Hall appearances, national and international tours, innovative programming and extensive community engagement initiatives. Visit www.stlsymphony.org for more.

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