London Symphony Orchestra announces John Harte as managing director | Classical music
The London Symphony Orchestra has announced that John Harte will be the orchestra’s next chief executive, replacing Dame Kathryn McDowell. Who will step back? In this role at the end of the summer, 20 years later.
Harte has been chief executive of the Aurora Orchestra since 2009 and, together with principal conductor Nicholas Collon and creative director Jane Mitchell, has led the group from a fledgling organization to one of the most successful and innovative new British arts organizations of recent decades. Prior to his tenure at Aurora, Harte worked for the British choral company Collegium and completed his doctorate in Middle Eastern history at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
“It is a privilege to be appointed to the role of MD at a time of such artistic and organizational strength and I look forward to working closely with the players, staff, board and collaborators to take the London Symphony Orchestra to even greater heights in the years to come,” he said.
LSO president Sarah Quinn added: “John has led outstanding work at the Aurora Orchestra, which has become a major force in UK music in an impressively short time. We look forward to working together.”
Harte will join a senior team that also includes executive chef Sir Antonio Pappano and chef emeritus Sir Simon Rattle. The orchestra was founded in 1904 and today resides at the Barbican in London, where it performs around 70 concerts a year, as well as appearing as guest performers in Paris, Tokyo and at the Aix-en-Provence festival.
Aurora’s Collon and Mitchell paid tribute to their outgoing CEO. “We are so grateful for all that John gave to Aurora: his hard-working dedication, audacious sense of ambition, and deep humanity.” Aurora Trustees chair Dame Liz Forgan confirmed the search for her replacement would begin shortly.
