Gary Ginstling

Gary Ginstling
Born	Livingston, New Jersey [1]
Occupation(s)	Music executive, Musician
Known for	Leadership of the National Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic

Gary Ginstling is an American music executive and a former President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic. ^{[2] [3]} On February 3, 2025, he became CEO of the Houston Symphony. ^[4]

Education

Ginstling holds degrees from Yale University, the Juilliard School and the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. ^[5]

Commenting on his time at Juilliard to the New York Times, Ginstling said: “I was singularly focused on getting a job in a great orchestra. I don’t think there was an awareness that a career in the arts was something worth considering.” ^[6]

Career

Ginstling spent 12 years performing as a clarinet player with the New West Symphony before moving into academia. ^[1]

In 1998, Ginstling was on the faculty of the University of California at Irvine's Department of Music as a lecturer in music. ^[7]

After completing his MBA at Anderson, Ginstling had a three-year role in the technology industry working as a product marketing manager for the Java platform at Sun Microsystems. ^{[1] [8]}

In 2004 he left tech for a role as executive director of the Berkeley Symphony where he grew attendance by more than 25%. ^[9]

Leaving Berkeley, Ginstling worked as director of communications and external affairs for the San Francisco Symphony. ^[8]

Ginstling then became the chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for five years where he settled a musician's strike upon arrival and increased revenue 44% ^[1] and general manager of the Cleveland Orchestra from 2008 to 2013. ^[8]

Ginstling was executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, D.C. beginning in August 2017. ^[5] While at the NSO, Ginstling developed new ways of reaching audiences, driving up ticket sales, subscriptions and donations. ^[5]

On July 11, 2024, Ginstling resigned as CEO of the New York Philharmonic amidst controversy from its performers related to labor disputes. ^[10]

Other activities

Ginstling serves on boards of the League of American Orchestras and the Electronic Media Association. ^[11]

References

1. Lindquist, David (June 5, 2017). "Symphony CEO Gary Ginstling will lead National Symphony Orchestra". IndyStar . Retrieved 8 February 2023.
2. "Gary Ginstling, President and CEO". New York Philharmonic . Retrieved 3 July 2023.
3. Hernández, Javier C. (2024-07-11). "New York Philharmonic Chief Abruptly Steps Down Amid Tensions". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-12.
4. https://houstonsymphony.org/press-room/gary-ginstling-named-executive-director-and-ceo-of-houston-symphony/
5. Hernández, Javier C. (June 17, 2022). "New York Philharmonic Chooses Arts Veteran as Leader: Gary Ginstling, executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, will replace Deborah Borda as the orchestra's president and chief executive next year". New York Times . Retrieved 8 February 2023.
6. da Fonseca-Wollheim, Corinna (September 27, 2013). "Moving Offstage to Seek Harmony". New York Times . Retrieved 8 February 2023.
7. University of California, Irvine Catalog, 1998-1999 (PDF). University of California, Irvine. p. 102. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
8. "Gary Ginstling: Executive Director National Symphony Orchestra". The Kennedy Center . Retrieved 8 February 2023.
9. Mattison, Ben (September 30, 2004). "Berkeley Symphony Reports Higher Attendance, Surplus" . Retrieved 8 February 2023.
10. Hernández, Javier C. (2024-07-11). "New York Philharmonic Chief Abruptly Steps Down Amid Tensions". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-12.
11. Falvey, Marci. "Alum named New York Philharmonic's new Executive Director". New World Symphony (orchestra) . Retrieved 19 April 2024.