Isaac Thompson Named President and CEO of Oregon Symphony

In the August 8 Portland Tribune  (Oregon), Jason Vondersmith writes, “The new man behind the scenes of the Oregon Symphony is a 38-year-old, Twin Cities, Minnesota native who comes from the New York Philharmonic and admits to being ‘a recovering violinist.’ He’s thrilled to be moving to Portland to become CEO and president of what he calls ‘one of the great American orchestras.’ Isaac Thompson starts in October, replacing Scott Showalter, who becomes an executive advisor to the president and board of directors…. Thompson was most recently the managing director of the New York Philharmonic [which he joined in 2017]. The Oregon Symphony evaluated some 40 candidates for the position…. Thompson joins David Danzmayr, artistic director, whom he met during the interview process, in Oregon Symphony leadership…. ‘The orchestra is ready and poised to move into the future in a vibrant and visionary way,’ Thompson said…. Thompson wants to make an impact with Oregon Symphony, but not until acclimating himself with stakeholders … Asking, ‘What is the intersection of social and artistic imperative? It harkens back to the idea of an orchestra being a living and breathing organization … An orchestra can be a critical part of the fabric of a community.’ ”