Orchestra League Announces Six Board Appointments

League of American Orchestras Chair Lowell J. Noteboom has announced the appointment of Burton Alter, Angelo Fatta, Jim Hasler, John Hayes, James Mabie, and Robert Peiser to the League's Board of Directors. The six new board members, who will each serve three-year terms, were elected by the League board during its annual meeting in June.

"The League is committed to providing strong leadership for orchestras in a time of dramatic change," said Noteboom. "We look forward to drawing on the expertise of this group of proven leaders who care deeply about sustaining and deepening the valuable role America's orchestras play in their communities."

Burton Alter, a retired attorney, has served on the Board of Directors of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra for four years, and is currently president. He is also a trustee of the National Guild for Community Arts Education and was formerly board president of Neighborhood Music School in New Haven.

Angelo Fatta is the current treasurer and former chair of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra's Board of Trustees, on which he has served since 2004. Fatta is also former chair of the Board of Trustees of the University at Buffalo Foundation, Inc. and is currently a trustee of the State University of New York. He was founder and CEO of ACTS Testing Labs, which he sold in 1998. He later became president of BuffLink, a not-for-profit facilitator of life sciences commercialization in Western New York. He and his wife, Carol, are founders of The Fatta Foundation, which supports the welfare and development of children in the Buffalo area.

Jim Hasler is the vice president/chair of the marketing and programs committees of East Bay Performing Arts, the parent company of the Oakland East Bay Symphony. Hasler is also the former president of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, and a board member since 1997. He is director of marketing development at The Clorox Company.

John Hayes was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra for seven years, serving as vice chair from 2007 to 2010 and as chair in 2011. From 2001 to 2005 he was as a member of the Board of Directors of the Denver Area Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, which he chaired in 2002 and 2003. He retired from the private practice of law in 2011, and currently works as a mediator/arbitrator.

James Mabie is a life trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as trustee of The Cara Program; co-founder and chairman of Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts); trustee and past chair of Chicago Public Media; trustee of WTTW (Chicago Public Television); trustee of Ravinia Festival; and trustee and chair of Lyric Opera of Chicago's finance committee. Mabie is a principal of William Blair and Company and former managing director of A.G. Becker & Company.

Robert A. Peiser is the president of the Houston Symphony Board of Trustees. He also serves on advisory committees of the Jones School of Management, and the Shepherd School of Music, at Rice University He currently serves on the board of the Houston Area Women's Center, is president of the board of the Foundation for Jones Hall, and is on the Investment Committee of the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Peiser's most recent management roles include chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Omniflight Helicopters, Inc. (2008-2010), and President and Chief Executive Officer of Imperial Sugar Company (2002-2008). He is currently a director for two public companies (Team, Inc. and USA Truck), and three private companies (Americas PowerSports, eCardio Diagonistics, and NMG Group). Peiser is the immediate past chairman, and a continuing director, of the Texas TriCities Chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors.