Brian Newhouse Appointed Minnesota Orchestra Associate Vice President of Individual Giving

Brian Newhouse, the award-winning, former long-time host of Minnesota Orchestra concert broadcasts on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), has been named the Orchestra's Associate Vice President of Individual Giving.

Newhouse, who stepped down from Classical MPR in June, will now join the Orchestra's fundraising team to lead its individual giving efforts, beginning on November 2.

"We are delighted to have Brian join the Orchestra family. His in-depth knowledge of classical music and deep passion for the Minnesota Orchestra will be a terrific addition to the organization," said Minnesota Orchestra Vice President of Advancement Carolyn Egeberg. "We look forward to the wonderful connections he will make between the Orchestra and the donor community."

Newhouse held a variety of positions at Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media over his tenure, ultimately serving as Managing Director of the nation's largest public media classical music service for a decade. In that role he created MPR's music education initiative, Music for Learning, which has served more than 250,000 Minnesota students and has been adopted by PBS. A lifelong choral singer, Newhouse founded the 24-hour Choral Stream and MPR's state-wide Bring the Sing program to foster community singing. He programmed, wrote and hosted SymphonyCast, the national weekly broadcast series devoted to live orchestral performances, and was a routine collaborator with MPR's development team over his tenure.

As producer and host of Minnesota Orchestra concert broadcasts on Classical MPR, Newhouse hosted a live Friday night radio experience from Orchestra Hall for 27 years and joined the Orchestra on many historic tours abroad, leading memorable broadcasts from London, Havana, Soweto, Amsterdam and Lahti, Finland.

"For a joyful part of my life, I got the privilege of connecting the Orchestra's magic to radio and digital audiences. This new role is in many ways a natural next chapter," said Newhouse. "I'm thrilled to play my part in connecting loyal friends and friends-we-haven't-yet-met to the Orchestra's mission, relevance, and its ability to make breathtaking beauty. This organization has never been more necessary to our community."

Newhouse holds a B.A. in Music and English from Luther College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Hamline University. He won a Peabody Award for writing the radio documentary The Mississippi: River of Song and penned the memoir A Crossing: A Cyclist's Journey Home. He and his wife live in Saint Paul.