Santa Fe Pro Musica
Hires Alex Shapiro as Executive Director
Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Pro Musica Board of Trustees President Wendy Haig announced today that the organization has hired Alex Shapiro as Executive Director. Shapiro is currently Director of Development at the San Francisco Performing Arts Library & Museum, a position he has held since 2004. He will join Santa Fe Pro Musica on April 7, 2008.
When Alex Shapiro assumes the Executive Director position, General Director Thomas O'Connor will move to a new position of Music Director and Conductor. O'Connor, who has been General Director since June, 2003, is also the co-founder of Santa Fe Pro Musica, conductor and formerly Principal Oboe. Both O'Connor and the Board decided that the organization's growth (now ending its 26th season) and ambitious plans for the future require an expansion of staff, in both music and administration. With this change, O'Connor will turn over the administrative duties to an Executive Director and focus his attention on music. Carol Redman will continue in the position of Associate Artistic Director and Education Director.
President Wendy Haig said, "I know I speak for the entire Board of Trustees in welcoming Alex Shapiro as Executive Director of Santa Fe Pro Musica. We were very impressed with his background and experience, and even more impressed upon meeting him. We look forward to working with him as Santa Fe Pro Musica looks forward to its 27th season. And our heartfelt thanks go to Tom O'Connor, who has managed to combine his duties as General Director with his musical responsibilities for five years, and now will be able to concentrate on music."
Alex Shapiro, who will be moving to Santa Fe from Oakland, California, has had an outstanding career in a variety of non-profit leadership roles, with a particular focus on fundraising and administration. Prior to his position at the Performing Arts Library & Museum, he was Director of Fund Development at Northern California Cancer Center, Fremont, California; Executive Director of San Francisco Bay Area Book Council, San Francisco; Executive Director of DanceCleveland, Cleveland, Ohio; and Director of Development at AIDS Foundation of Chicago, among other positions.
Throughout his career, Shapiro has had a successful record of increasing donations, increasing audience and visitor attendance, establishing programs, Board relationships and Board development, and fiscal and administrative management.
Shapiro is enthusiastic when speaking of his new position. "I'm very excited to be moving to Santa Fe to work for such an outstanding music organization as Santa Fe Pro Musica. I look forward to collaborating with the talented staff and the dedicated Board to continue building this dynamic and innovative organization. Santa Fe Pro Musica's history is impressive, and I hope to assist in bringing it to a new level."
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Santa Fe Pro Musica Recording
Nominated for Grammy Award
Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Pro Musica is thrilled to announce that its recording of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde/The Song of the Earth has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the classical category of Best Small Ensemble Performance. Nominations for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards were just announced; and the awards will be presented on February 10, 2008.
The Dorian/Sono Luminus recording, released in 2006, is a collaboration between Santa Fe Pro Musica, which specializes in the performance of works for chamber orchestra and chamber ensembles, and the Smithsonian Chamber Players, dedicated to exploring the worlds of the master instruments from the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. This performance of Mahler’s masterwork is based on the chamber orchestra transcription by Arnold Schonberg (completed by Rainer Riehn), and is conducted by Kenneth Slowik, artistic director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society, and features soloists John Elwes, tenor, and Russell Braun, baritone.
Thomas O’Connor, general director of Santa Fe Pro Musica, expressed his delight over the nomination. “Coming as a total surprise in the middle of our twenty-sixth season, this nomination is a wonderful validation of the success of Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Smithsonian Chamber Players, and the importance of the chamber orchestra repertoire and performance. The nomination is a great honor, and we are very grateful.”