“Memphis Symphony Orchestra CEO and President Roland Valliere—a ‘turnaround specialist’ who reversed the symphony’s serious financial crisis by orchestrating a deal that required the musicians to take deep pay cuts—is stepping down from the job Nov. 9,” writes John Beifuss in Monday’s (8/17) Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN). “A native of Rhode Island, Valliere, 60, has accepted a job as president of Cape Arts & Entertainment in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.… Valliere—who helmed a similar belt-tightening exercise with the Columbus Symphony in Ohio before coming to Memphis—was hired last year by the symphony board to save the organization from closure.… Valliere was able to cut the symphony’s annual budget from $4.9 million to $3.2 million…. ‘To continue to have an orchestra of high quality, we have to find a way to compensate the musicians better,’ Valliere said…. Subscription renewals for the forthcoming season’s First Tennessee Masterworks Series are currently at a record 95 percent, according to MSO board chair Gayle Rose. … ‘The consensus is that things are much more stable now,’ said Valliere, who accepted the Memphis job with the understanding that he likely would leave after restoring the symphony’s financial footing.”
Posted August 18, 2015
