MITCH BASSION has been named vice president of development at the Philadelphia Orchestra. Bassion joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in July 2015 as senior director of principal gifts and was promoted to assistant vice president of development in September 2017. He served as interim vice president of development beginning May 2020. As vice president of development, he will continue to oversee the orchestra’s fundraising operations. In his 24-year career as a fundraiser in the cultural sector, Bassion has worked at arts organizations in Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Seattle; Los Angeles; Kansas City; San Diego; and Atlanta. He has held senior fundraising positions with Lyric Opera of Chicago, Seattle Opera, and Los Angeles Opera. He served as director of development for the Los Angeles Conservancy, a historic-preservation organization. He was previously director of development for Washington Performing Arts, the multi-disciplinary arts presenter in Washington, D.C. He is a native Philadelphian and a graduate of Northeast High School and the University of Maryland at College Park.
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