After nearly 12 years with the Southwest Florida Symphony, current CEO Amy Ginsburg has decided to leave the position effective June 30 to spend more time with her family as well as pursue other opportunities.
The symphony, Lee County’s only fully professional orchestra and the fourth oldest in the state, announced the departure Monday.
“Amy has been a guiding light for the Southwest Florida Symphony for over a decade, leading with a vision and commitment that have strengthened our mission, expanded our reach and enriched the lives of so many,” said Tom Uhler, president of the board of directors for the Southwest Florida Symphony. “We are incredibly grateful to Amy for her years of passionate service and her unwavering dedication to bringing the power of the arts to our community. We wish her all the best for the future.”
Ginsburg arrived at the Southwest Florida Symphony in 2013 as its director of strategic marketing and development. In her first year, she led the orchestra in refreshing its branding and messaging strategy and utilizing its 2013-14 music director search to engage the entire community in the artistic leadership selection process. As a result, paid attendance rebounded significantly, and donations returned to pre-recession levels.
Additionally, Ginsburg took the orchestra on tour to several Florida cities four times, procured grant funding for new equipment and to create the orchestra’s mobile classroom, The Music Box Truck. She also established a permanent administrative home for the orchestra through relationships with Sanibel Captiva Community Bank.
When John Hudson, the orchestra’s CEO, passed away in 2015, the board appointed Ginsburg as the orchestra’s interim executive director while considering whether to hold a national search for new leadership or promote from within.
As a result of Ginsburg’s commitment to the orchestra’s mission, fundraising ability, positive relationship with Maestro Nir Kabaretti, and their shared creative vision for the orchestra’s future, the board appointed her as its CEO in 2016.
Ginsburg has since led the symphony with a passion for increasing the community’s exposure to the arts. Her leadership navigated the organization through the pandemic, challenging hurricane seasons and multiple music director searches while presenting concert seasons filled with spectacular performances for the enjoyment of music lovers across Lee and Charlotte counties.
“The past 12 years of working with the Southwest Florida Symphony have been some of the very best of my life,” said Ginsburg. “It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the crown jewel of arts and culture in a community I’ve called home for more than 40 years. During my tenure, I have made lifelong friends with orchestral musicians, guest artists, board members and civic and industry leaders. I am extremely proud of what this institution has accomplished during my time here.”
In the coming weeks, the board of directors will assemble a committee to begin the search for the symphony’s next CEO.
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