From the Top, the National Public Radio show that presents classically trained young musicians, has named GRETCHEN NIELSEN as executive director. Nielsen succeeds From the Top co-founders/CEOs Gerald Slavet and Jennifer Hurley-Wales, and begins her tenure on March 1. Nielsen was most recently vice president of education initiatives at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where she led multiple programs that reached more than 150,000 school-children, teachers, families, young musicians, and concert-goers annually. She played a key role in developing plans for the LA Phil’s YOLA Center @ Inglewood, which will be a center for Youth Orchestra LA, local and national music learning, and a community resource. Nielsen came to the LA Phil in 2007 to launch the El Sistema-inspired YOLA programs. She developed education projects with the Barbican Centre in London, El Sistema in Venezuela, El Sistema Japan in Tokyo, and INBA in Mexico City. Prior to the LA Phil, Nielsen worked with orchestras nationwide and California-based arts and culture institutions as a consultant with Manhattan-based EmcArts.
Posted January 17, 2018
