10 Female Chief Executives of UK Orchestras
An introduction to some of the women who are running British orchestras, including symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, period-instrument orchestras and children’s orchestras. You may also be interested to read about 15 Female Founders of Classical Music Organisations including agencies, businesses, orchestras and ensembles.
Dame Kathryn McDowell
Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra since 2005
Dame Kathryn McDowell, DBE, DL is managing director of the LSO. In the mid-80s Kathryn became one of the first education and community managers with orchestras, creating an extensive programme with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and leading the ABO’s first national education project. She also worked with Welsh National Opera and the Ulster Orchestra, before becoming Music Director of the Arts Council of England in the 90s. Since then, she led the bid for the creation of the Wales Millennium Centre and directed the City of London Festival. She was awarded Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours.
Sarah Bardwell
Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra from September 2024
Sarah Bardwell is the Managing Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, having previously been the Executive Director of Britten Pears Arts and the CEO of the Britten Pears Foundation. A music graduate, she undertook a mid-career, year-long arts leaders fellowship at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC and has worked at the Royal Albert Hall and the English National Opera as a fundraiser. Her varied portfolio includes income generation, strategic planning, marketing, and diversity lead.
Emma Stenning
Chief Executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra since April 2023
Emma Stenning joined the CBSO from Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto, the renowned Canadian company, much loved for its popular concert series. She says: “I owe my love of classical music to the musicians, artists and educators who brought the repertoire to me in new and accessible ways, and held my hand as I discovered each piece for the first time. Those magical experiences left me with the abiding passion that I might work to help others on the same life-enriching journey of musical discovery.” Stenning was previously Chief Executive of Bristol Old Vic, Executive Director of Battersea Arts Centre; and Cultural Programme Advisor at the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games.
Auveen Sands
Chief Executive of Ulster Orchestra since January 2014
Auveen Sands has worked for the Ulster Orchestra since January 2014, fulfilling previous roles of Head of Finance and Operations and Chief Operating Officer. She joined the orchestra at a time when it was in financial difficulties due to severe public funding cuts, and was a key member of the team that saved the orchestra from closure. Sands has a strong career background of 15 years in corporate banking in Belfast and Dublin.
Susie York Skinner
Chief Executive of Gabrieli since July 2024
Susie York Skinner has just stepped into the role of Chief Executive of period-instrument orchestra and choir Gabrieli, having previously held the role from 2011-2017. Susie has also been the Director of Development at the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and for the last three years, was CEO of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Alongside her specialisms in fundraising, board development and organisational strategy, throughout her career Susie has worked to increase young people’s access to great music, whether as audience members or participants.
Sophie Lewis
Chief Executive of National Children’s Orchestra since February 2018
Sophie Lewis joined National Children's Orchestras in 2018 as Chief Executive to oversee a period of substantial organisational change and development. Before this, she spent 10 years as Chief Executive of Sinfonia Cymru in Wales, a chamber orchestra dedicated to supporting young professional musicians. Her successful leadership was acknowledged in 2012 when she won the inaugural ABO Classical Music Orchestra Manager of the Year Award. Sophie has held previous roles at Welsh National Opera, Arts Council England and English National Opera.
Sarah Alexander OBE
Creative Director and Chief Executive of the National Youth Orchestra, since 2008
As Chief Executive and Creative Director of The National Youth Orchestra, Sarah Alexander OBE has grown the organisation from working with 164 young people to one that reaches 10,000 teenagers, opening access to young people from all backgrounds. It is now widely celebrated as the world’s greatest orchestra for teenagers, and is the UK's leading organisation championing orchestral music as a powerful agent for teenage development.
Sarah spent many years as a freelance theatre and opera director, and she created the Max department at Welsh National Opera. She has won prestigious awards from the Association of British Orchestras and the Royal Philharmonic Society among others.
Lucy Galliard
Chief Executive of Sinfonia Viva since January 2022
Lucy Galliard joined Sinfonia Viva as Chief Executive in January 2022. She read music at the University of York and completed an MA in Film Music Studies at the University of Leeds. She began her career in the arts with a community arts organisation in Doncaster before joining Live Music Now Yorkshire & Lincolnshire, progressing to become the Acting Executive Director. Lucy moved on to become the Director of Learning & Engagement at the CBSO, before taking up her current role at Sinfonia Viva.
Caroline Tress
Chief Executive of Sinfonia Cymru since October 2022
Caroline Tress grew up in a family of musicians and music organisers, playing the piano and viola. After studying at Cardiff University, she went to work as an accountant with a large financial services firm, but, missing the arts, moved on to work for a whole host of musical organisations including Welsh National Opera, English Touring Opera, Oxfordshire Youth Arts Partnership, Vale of Glamorgan Festival and Music Theatre Wales.
Alys Beider
Executive Director of Multi-Story Orchestra since 2023
Alys Beider is the Executive Director of Multi-Story Orchestra, an organisation that is creatively led by young people from South East London and performs exceptional new orchestral work in car parks and other unexpected places. Here she is head of strategic planning, income generation, team management and operations. She began her career in hospitality before spending a number of years teaching in Mexico City and then moving into arts and advocacy in Austin, Texas, where she developed a passion for championing the voices and creative capabilities of minoritised communities and interrogating intersectionality within the arts. This led Alys to operational management within a multidisciplinary arts venue and then within theatre on returning to the UK, before joining MSO in 2023.