Arts Consulting Group Leading CEO Search for Toledo Symphony Orchestra

June 28, 2016 – Executive search firm Arts Consulting Group (ACG) has been retained by the Toledo Symphony Orchestra (TSO) to lead its search for a new president and chief executive officer. Dale Hedding, vice president at ACG, is leading the assignment.

Reporting to the board of directors and working in partnership with the principal conductor, the top post will likely be filled by a community leader who will implement structure, process, and procedures to meet the organization’s coming objectives. As a consensus builder, the incumbent will strengthen and build the TSO team to achieve its artistic, audience engagement, and financial goals.

The incoming leader will bring broad leadership knowledge and will have a proven track record and possess exceptional organizational, fundraising, and communication skills. The candidate must be a diplomatic leader who will be able to communicate with diverse stakeholders and engage at every level of the greater Toledo community.

In addition, according to the position spec, the incumbent will possess the following competencies:

Diplomacy and Interpersonal Skills: The capacity to embrace different points of view constructively, resolve conflicts, and bring cohesion to a wide array of stakeholders;

Leadership and Personal Accountability: The ability to organize and motivate other people to accomplish goals, while always setting an example by assuming accountability for business and personal actions;

Persuasion and Decision Making: Utilizing effective processes to make decisions while listening to others, and guide them, convincing them to change the way they think, believe, or behave.

Currently in its 72nd season, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra is considered to be one of the premier symphonic orchestras in the Midwest, reaching more than 260,000 individuals annually through its performances and educational programs. The TSO has had an illustrious history, featuring the great international soloists of the past century.

Arts Consulting Group is a provider of interim management, executive search, revenue enhancement consulting, facilities & program planning, and organizational development services for the arts and culture industry. It has identified senior level leaders for similar organizations like the TSO, including Long Beach Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Chicago Opera, Stockton Symphony Association, and Portland Baroque Orchestra.

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The firm has offices in Boston, Calgary, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Halifax, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Portland, San Francisco, Tampa, Toronto, and Washington, D.C.

Other music organizations have been turning to executive search firms in recent months to find new leaders. Here’s a look at just a few:

Spencer Stuart recruited Jenny Krueger as executive director of The Sun Valley Summer Symphony. The Sun Valley Summer Symphony, now in its 32nd season, convenes more than 100 world class musicians from North America’s most distinguished orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, New York Philharmonic and Houston Symphony, in Sun Valley, Idaho;

Phillips Oppenheim, an executive search firm dedicated to the non-profit sector, was retained recently by the Saratoga Performing Arts Center to lead its search for a president and executive director. Saratoga Performing Arts Center presents summer performances of classical music, jazz, pop and rock, dance, opera, as well as a Wine & Food Festival;

Cleveland Institute of Music recently selected Isaacson, Miller to lead its search for a new president. VP Sheryl Ash and principal Rebecca Swartz are leading the search with associate Randi Alberry. Since its founding in 1920, the Cleveland Institute of Music has offered world class education to students from age three to 93;