New Jersey boss quits
OrchestrasGabriel van Aalst, President & CEO of the New Jersey Symphony since 2016, is leaving in September to run a performing arts centre in Dayton, Ohio.
An Australian who studied in London and was CEO of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, van Aalst formed a vibrant partnership at NJSO with its music director Xian Zhang.
Assuming “Dayron” is Dayton, it would not be me that gave up NJ — a pretty respectable symphony orchestra — and its proximity to New York to run a performing arts centre in the midwest.
But, hey, he’s young, and his short CV sounds impressive. Maybe he will put “Dayron” on the artistic map. If it is indeed Dayton, they produce concerts, operas and ballet. Lots of scope.
He will be running “Dayton Live,” which is a presenting organizations using 3 or 4 venues in that city. V. Lind may be thinking of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, which is indeed the umbrella organization for Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet.
First reducing the number of concerts. Then canning a huge chunk of staff. Now the CEO quits to work in scenic Dayton Ohio? New Jersey Symphony sounds like they’re in huge trouble.