Toronto Symphony Orchestra Appoints Matthew Loden As Chief Executive Officer

Today, the Board of Directors of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew Loden to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the TSO. Mr. Loden will begin in July, succeeding Gary Hanson who has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer since September 2016.

An accomplished arts administrator, musician, and teacher with an impressive and varied career in the classical music industry, Mr. Loden comes to the TSO from The Philadelphia Orchestra where he has been Interim Co-President since January 2018. The TSO Board agreed that Matthew's history of achievement across the music industry, his instinct for collaboration, and his work in education made him the ideal choice.

Mr. Loden has consistently championed musical performances of the highest calibre while expanding audience and community programs with universal appeal to patrons. Mr. Loden joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2012 as Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement, where he helped to lead the organization through an unprecedented financial turnaround. He launched Yannick Nézet-Séguin into his first season as music director, expanded fundraising initiatives to bring double-digit increases to the annual fund, and delivered balanced budgets throughout his tenure. In Philadelphia, Mr. Loden had executive responsibility for sustaining strategic direction and business alignment, and overseeing board, philanthropic, communication, and external-relations efforts. He also had owner oversight of, and served as Board Secretary for, the Academy of Music, the oldest opera house in the U.S. and a National Historic Landmark. In addition, he was the executive liaison with the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

"After conducting an international search for our next Chief Executive Officer, our committee was unanimous in selecting Matthew to lead the TSO into our next chapter. He is keen to join us in Toronto, and his passion for music and deep knowledge of the orchestral world will prove invaluable," said TSO Board Chair Catherine Beck. "I am delighted that he will be joining us in July."

Prior to his work in Philadelphia, Mr. Loden was Vice President and General Manager at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he led operations and strategic efforts with the board and staff to present an eight-week festival encompassing 350 concert events. Mr. Loden also helped design elements of a new $75-million redevelopment of the School's Bucksbaum Campus. Previously, Mr. Loden was the Director of Admissions for the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, in Houston, Texas, where he managed all aspects of undergraduate and graduate admissions. Mr. Loden's commitment to arts education developed while he was the Artistic Director for Young Audiences of Houston, a position he held prior to his work at Rice University. He managed artistic programming for a roster of 100 artists and ensembles; designed in-school performances, workshops, and residency programs; and created innovative arts partnerships across the region.

"On behalf of the musicians of the TSO, I am thrilled to welcome Matthew Loden," adds Concertmaster Jonathan Crow. "A seasoned and successful arts administrator, he is renowned for his creativity, vision, and leadership. As a trained musician himself, he shares the Orchestra's commitment to artistic excellence in all things. I am excited to be a part of the TSO under Matthew's guidance-the Orchestra is in great hands!"

Mr. Loden has violin performance degrees from Oberlin Conservatory and the Eastman School of Music, and has regularly performed with orchestras and ensembles around the world. In the United States alone, he has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnegie Hall, as well as for numerous Broadway productions.

"The opportunity to lead the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will mark the pinnacle of my career, and I am thrilled to be able to work with such exceptional musicians," comments Matthew Loden. "My thanks to Board and Chief Executive Officer Search Chair, Catherine Beck, for her leadership and support, and to the entire Search Committee for managing an impressive process. I know the artistic ideals of the TSO will set the direction for all that we will accomplish on stage and off, and I am eager to help encourage artistic and educational partnerships throughout the city wherever possible. I cannot wait to call Toronto home."

The search committee was comprised of board, musicians, and staff working with the Caldwell search firm.

Photo: Matthew Loden (Photo by: Jag Gundu)

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