Keith C. Elder becomes president and CEO of Michigan’s Grand Rapids Symphony on July 1.
Keith C. Elder has been appointed as the Grand Rapids Symphony’s next president and chief executive officer. Elder will succeed Mary Tuuk Kuras, who retired in December 2022, and will officially begin his tenure on July 1, 2023. Elder was most recently executive director and CEO of the Tulsa Symphony in Oklahoma. Prior to his position in Tulsa, he held various roles at institutions including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Eastman School of Music, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and Tanglewood Music Center. Elder is a member of the bar of the United States Supreme Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the State of New York. He holds a BS in music and arts administration from Indiana University, with concentrations in tuba and technical theater, and a JD from New England Law. At the Tulsa Symphony, Elder oversaw performances by guest artists from multiple genres, developed and oversaw the Tulsa Symphony’s first holiday television special, and successfully executed a safe open-air concert during the COVID pandemic. In 2020, he was honored as Tulsan of the Year by TulsaWorld for exceptional vision and leadership during the pandemic.
