“Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra’s executive director is retiring after 25 years with the nonprofit,” writes Kurt Nagl in Tuesday’s (3/14) Crain’s Detroit Business. “Mary Steffek Blaske will step down at the end of the year…. A national search overseen by the nonprofit’s board will be conducted to locate a replacement for Blaske. ‘Mary has been the heart and soul of the organization for 25 years,’ board President Rick Hendricks said in a press release. As leader of the 90-year-old organization with a $1.6 million annual budget, Blaske oversees a 71-member orchestra and nine administrative staff members. The board is composed of 36 people….. Blaske took up the leadership post of the orchestra Sept. 1, 1994. She had a brief stint as a violinist in the orchestra in the 1980s. As executive director, she led the nonprofit through significant growth and developed its education program, which has reached more than 30,000 children in Michigan. ‘It has been my privilege to be part of this dynamo organization and watch it blossom into a healthy orchestra that is both world-class and community-focused,’ Blaske said in the release. The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to play nine shows in various venues from September to April.”
Posted May 15, 2019
