On May 1, the Houston
Symphony welcomes Mark Hanson as its new executive director and CEO. Hanson
takes the reins from Matthew VanBesien, who has gone down under to become
managing director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Hanson is no newcomer to
the Houston music scene. Under the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestra
Management Fellowship Program, the Boston native trained with the Houston
Symphony in the ’90s, and his wife, Christina, is a graduate of Rice University
and The Shepherd School of Music. He comes to Houston direct from his post as
president and executive director of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. During
his time with the MSO, the orchestra more than doubled its annual contributions
from individuals, foundations and corporations, as well as the number of
full-orchestra performances staged outside its primary hall. Hanson also knows
the value of new technologies for the arts: He negotiated a revolutionary Local
Internet agreement that established the MSO as the first U.S. orchestra to
release live recordings on iTunes. Under his guidance, the MSO explored a
variety of ambitious, artistic projects — we’re most intrigued by the marriage
of Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle with
sets designed by Dale Chihuly. Previously, Hanson served as exec director of
the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, for which the League of American Orchestras
honored him with the Helen M. Thompson Award for Exceptional Leadership in
2003. For more background about his achievements and details about the Houston
Symphony’s 2010–2011 season, visit houstonsymphony.org.
Image: Mark Hanson; photo courtesy of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.