“Bill Thomas, the newly appointed chief operating officer of the New York Philharmonic, has worked at the orchestra since 1999, not including a two-year stint at the Metropolitan Opera from 2006 to 2008, a time he jokingly refers to as his ‘two-year sabbatical,’ ” writes Nazish Dholakia in Tuesday’s (2/10) Crain’s New York Business. “ ‘I love the Met, but I love the Philharmonic even more,’ said the native New Yorker. Over the years, Mr. Thomas, 59, has held the titles of chief financial officer and acting executive director at the orchestra, which has a budget of $76 million. He said the latter role ‘was a nice crash course in what it takes to run the Phil.’ In addition to his financial and operational responsibilities, he will also oversee the orchestra’s marketing initiatives while retaining the title of senior vice president. He has already helped develop the Philharmonic’s media program; the orchestra is on the radio 52 weeks a year, primarily in the U.S. ‘Bill is kind of a rock here,’ said President Matthew VanBesien. ‘He has great institutional knowledge.’ The appointment comes at a time when the Philharmonic is seeking to raise millions to renovate Avery Fisher Hall and double its $200 million endowment. The renovations are expected to cost $500 million.”
Posted February 13, 2015
