This week, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association announced that long-time President and CEO Ann Koonsman (left) will retire on July 31 after nearly three decades with the orchestra. Replacing Koonsman will be Amy Adkins, currently the orchestra’s vice president of development. John Austin interviews Koonsman in Wednesday’s (1/26) Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas): “ ‘It has been an incredible experience,’ said Koonsman, 67. ‘I’d hope everyone can say that they have enjoyed their career as much as I have enjoyed mine.’ Under her leadership, the orchestra sold out Carnegie Hall, played China and brought singing sensation Luciano Pavarotti to perform in Fort Worth in 1992. … She says one of her proudest accomplishments as board president was creating the orchestra’s Concerts in the Garden Summer Music Festival in 1990 after she had heard the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play outdoors at the famed Ravinia Festival. … The symphony’s annual budget was about $1 million when Koonsman took over, according to a 2003 Star-Telegram profile. These days, it has a $12 million budget and a 45-week concert season. The endowment fund is valued at about $24 million, she said.”
The Fort Worth Symphony announced on Friday that Adkins would take over the president and CEO post upon Koonsman’s retirement on July 31. Adkins has served as Vice President of Development of the FWSO since 2002, during which time she has achieved aggressive fundraising goals approaching $50 million in annual giving, a record in the Orchestra’s history. Mrs. Sid R. Bass, chairman of the board of directors of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association, said that Adkins’s “longtime dedication to the Orchestra, her love of music, and her ability to form relationships with key supporters makes her the perfect fit. Amy’s knowledge of orchestral management combined with her superb fundraising talents will ensure that the Orchestra has a bright future.”
Posted January 28, 2011
