The Score | LA Phil’s Gail Samuel to Helm Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has appointed Gail Samuel, chief operating officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and president of the Hollywood Bowl, as its next president and chief executive officer. When she begins her job on June 21, 2021, she will become the BSO’s first female president in its 140-year history. Samuel’s three decades of experience in orchestra management include 25 years of senior leadership at the LA Phil, where her accomplishments include recruiting a diverse staff representative of the greater Los Angeles community, supporting the work of Music Director Gustavo Dudamel’s YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles), and transforming the LA Phil’s Hollywood Bowl. She also oversaw strategic and operational program development for Walt Disney Concert Hall, the orchestra’s primary performance venue. In recent years, she worked with the County of Los Angeles to bring the Ford outdoor amphitheater under the stewardship of the LA Phil, with the goal of celebrating the community of artists in Los Angeles and their audiences. At the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she will succeed president and chief executive officer Mark Volpe, who is stepping down after 23 years.