DAYTON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CURTIS LONG TAPPED TO HEAD ALABAMA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Dayton, Ohio (May 1, 2008) – The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra today announced that Executive Director Curtis Long has accepted the position of Executive Director of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Long became Executive Director of the DPO in August of 1994, after a seven month search. He was then 30 years old and had recently been Executive Director of the Delaware Symphony. A graduate of the American Symphony Orchestra League fellowship program, Long arrived just seven weeks before the opening of the 1994-95 season. During Long’s tenure as Executive Director, the DPO hired Neal Gittleman, its fourth and current Music Director, moved from its old performance venue at Memorial Hall into the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, and saw the number of concerts it performed annually and the number of people attending concerts grow dramatically.

“I feel a great sense of pride in what we’ve accomplished at the DPO over my almost 14 years as Executive Director,” Long remarks. “The artistic, programmatic, and financial growth of the organization has been dramatic (and the new digs aren’t bad, either). The highlights have been too many to enumerate, but the best thing has been having the privilege to work with so many great people, both at the Orchestra and throughout the Dayton community.”

“It's been a great joy to work with Curt these past 13 years,” Neal Gittleman, DPO Music Director, states. “It's almost unheard of to find an orchestra executive with 14 years of service like Curt Long, especially among mid-sized orchestras like ours. And it's completely unheard of to find a Music Director and an Executive Director who have worked together as long and as well as Curt and I have. The DPO has been extraordinarily lucky to have had Curt's firm hand on the tiller, during this time of tremendous artistic and business growth for the orchestra. None of the great things that we've accomplished at the Philharmonic in recent memory would have been possible without Curt's unique blend of a strong grasp of finance, a sincere love and understanding of music, and a deep respect for musicians. That combination is all too rare in the world of orchestra management, and Curt sets a very high standard for our next Executive Director to meet.”

“As chair of the DPO Musicians’ Players' Committee,” DPO Principal Clarinetist John Kurokawa remarks, “I have enjoyed working with Curt Long. We've had our disagreements along the way, but they've always been for the right reasons, and I wish him the best of luck at his new position in Alabama.”

“We chose Curt for several reasons,” Alabama Symphony Orchestra Board President Charlie Perry states. “He is extremely well qualified, with a history of success in all of the factors that count - quality of music, attendance, rapport with musicians, the community and the board, and a sound business mind aligned with symphonic needs.”

DPO Board President Dave Reed has initiated a search for a replacement for Curt Long, with the hope of having a new Executive Director in place prior to the beginning of the 2008-2009 DPO Concert Season, which begins this September. “Finding someone with Curt’s dedication, talent, skill, and vision will not be an easy task,” Reed remarks. “We will most certainly miss him.”

A search committee, headed by Honorary DPO Board Trustee Bill Schneider, is being formed and will have its initial meeting next week. It is likely to include trustees, orchestra musicians, and music director. In Long’s absence, Wendy B. Campbell – DPO Board Member and Chair of the DPO Community Advisory Committee – will serve as Interim Executive Director.

About Curt Long

Curt Long led the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra through thirteen years of unprecedented artistic and organizational growth, including working with local arts and business leaders in the development of the visually stunning and acoustically superb $125 million Schuster Performing Arts Center complex which opened in March 2003. The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Janelle Gelfand has called the Schuster Center “one of the most stunning acoustical spaces in Ohio—perhaps in the nation,” adding that “the sound compares favorably with some of the best halls in the world.” During his tenure, the DPO’s budget increased from $2.3 to $5 million; administrative staff increased from nine to 23 employees; total live audience increased to almost 200,000 annually; performance income increased from $1 million to over $2.3 million; annual fund contributions increased from $520,000 to over $1.7 million; and the number of educational programs presented annually increased from 446 to over 1,200. 

Prior to his tenure with the DPO, Curt Long had been Executive Director of the Delaware Symphony Association in Wilmington, Delaware from 1992 to 1994; an Orchestra Management Fellow with the American Symphony Orchestra League in Washington, DC from 1991 to 1992, which included residencies with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Houston Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony, and the Women’s Philharmonic; and Director of Finance for Shafer Event Management, Inc., in Redondo Beach, California from 1985 to 1989. He holds a Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in not-for-profit management from the University of California, Berkeley  (1991) and a Bachelor of Arts with honors in English language and literature from the University of Chicago (1985) Phi Beta Kappa.       

In addition, he played French horn for eight years; was an Intern in the Challenge and Advancement Office of the National Endowment for the Arts, in the summer of 1990; and chaired Music Minister Search, Parish Profile, and Building Committees for St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Fairborn. Curt is married, with three young children. He is also co-owner of www.ibdof.com, a book discussion website.

About the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

Mission Statement: To enliven the spirit, inspire the imagination, cultivate the musical appreciation, and serve the education and entertainment needs of greater Dayton and surrounding communities.

Founded in 1933, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra has a distinguished place in the Miami Valley’s history as one of the area’s oldest and longest-standing cultural institutions. The Dayton Philharmonic is a regional orchestra of 83 musicians and is celebrating its 75th Anniversary in the current 2007-2008 season. Today, rich in artistic tradition, the Orchestra is proud to call the new Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center its home. The Schuster Center is a world-class, state-of-the-art performance hall that has already attracted a great number of arts aficionados from all corners of Ohio and the nation. The Orchestra is known nationally for one of the largest orchestra-based music education programs in the nation as well Music Director Neal Gittleman’s innovative programming.

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works, the single largest source of community funds for the arts and culture in the Miami Valley. Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra receives partial funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and from the Ohio Arts Council, a state agency created to foster and encourage the development of the arts and to preserve Ohio's cultural heritage. Funding from the Ohio Arts Council is an investment of state tax dollars that promotes economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohio residents.