“Aubrey Bergauer, the dynamic and innovative administrator whose five-year tenure as executive director of the California Symphony in Walnut Creek helped revitalize the orchestra’s audience base and bottom line, will leave the organization on Aug. 15 to work as an independent arts consultant,” writes Joshua Kosman in Wednesday’s (6/26) San Francisco Chronicle. “During her time with the California Symphony, Bergauer, 36, used a data-driven approach—including an intensive season-long audience survey project—to improve patron loyalty, increase ticket sales and stabilize the orchestra’s financial picture. The orchestra’s audiences have nearly doubled. Together with music director Donato Cabrera, Bergauer has also introduced a focus on racial and gender diversity in the orchestra’s staffing and artistic offerings alike. ‘These ideas of listening to patrons, focusing on audience loyalty, and iterative design,’ said Bergauer ‘have been vetted and authenticated. I want to think about the bigger issues in the orchestra field, and that’s something that needs to happen beyond Walnut Creek.’ … Board president Bill Armstrong said in a statement, ‘As much as we’d love to keep Aubrey, we understand that change-makers thrive on new challenges, and we are grateful for the extraordinary growth we’ve experienced under her leadership.’ ”
Posted June 27, 2019
