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This season has already brought some notable changes at some of the largest arts organizations in St. Louis, with high-profile leaders deciding to step aside for other opportunities or much-deserved retirement and new positions being created. Below are some of the biggest shake-ups
From L to R: Amy Kaiser, Yolanda Alovor, Julie Gibbs
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Who’s leaving:
Amy Kaiser, Chorus Director
Amy Kaiser has spent the past 27 years as choral director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. In that time, she became an integral part of the SLSO family, having done nearly everything for the SLSO, including conducting the orchestra in Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, and Young People’s Concerts, all along with the normal duties directing the choir. Kaiser will be retiring at the end of the season, with her final concerts being choral performances of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony on April 30 and May 1. The SLSO is currently planning a special event in Kaiser’s honor on March 18 at the Coronado. The search for her replacement is currently ongoing.
Who’s new:
Dr. Yolanda Alovor – Vice President of External Affairs and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The SLSO recently hired Dr. Yoland Alovor as their very first VP of External Affairs and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. This newly created executive-level position will oversee the SLSO’s ongoing work toward equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), providing strategic leadership to the entire SLSO family on all aspects of the institution’s growing EDI portfolio. Alovor will also oversee SLSO External Affairs and Communications functions, aligning those departments with SLSO strategic plan objectives and EDI framework. Alovor is a St. Louis native and Webster Groves High School and UMSL graduate who most recently served as chief of staff and vice president of diversity and belonging at Rosemont College in Pennsylvania. “I want people to know, most of all, my authenticity and attention to the need for equity in our greater St. Louis community, she told us in January. “And I want folks to know that I will do so authentically by listening, by creating bridges and pathways to equity and accessibility. I guess if I could sum it up, I’m an authentic player, and I'm here to partner with the needs of our community.”
Julie Gibbs – Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer
Another recent hire at the SLSO is Julie Gibbs as Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer. Gibbs was most recently the Vice President of Development at the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Gibbs is actually returning to the SLSO, where she spent the first 10 years of her career in the marketing and development departments. “I couldn’t pass up this unique opportunity to go back to another passion of mine, the orchestra and Powell Hall.” Gibbs said in a statement released by Jewish Federation. During her time at the Jewish Federation, Gibbs helped guide her team in exceeding annual fundraising goals, and was a key in successfully raising money for the expansion of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum. She also previously held positions at the Federation as Director of Major Gifts and Affinity Groups and Director of Women’s Philanthropy. In her eight years there, she led growth within Women’s Philanthropy and helped create its now-signature women’s campaign and community event, L’Chaim!
From L to R: Mark Bernstein, Danny Williams
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Who left:
Mark Bernstein, Managing Director
Who’s new:
Danny Williams
In April 2021, The Rep announced Managing Director Mark Bernstein would be retiring after 34 years with the theater. Bernstein’s work saw a tripling of The Rep’s annual operating budget, and a growth of the theater’s endowment from half a million dollars to nearly $10 million. Along with building a strong budget, Bernstein was key in the development of The Rep’s acclaimed “Off Ramp” series that ran from 2005-2008. Bernstein said of his retirement, “I have waited til the right time to decide to retire, and now that we have found a path forward with the theater after COVID, and with the artistic direction of Hana [Sharif], I feel confident that I am leaving The Rep in unbelievably capable hands.”
After a months-long search, The Rep announced in November that those “unbelievably capable hands” would belong to the former Senior Director of Finance and Administration for The Public Theater in New York, Danny Williams. Williams will bring his considerable experience—including 15 years at The Public, a venerable New York institution responsible for numerous award-winning off-Broadway shows and the world-famous Shakespeare in the Park in Central Park—to The Rep this year. He told us that, of the many things that attracted him to The Rep, it was his conversations with Artistic Director Hana Sharif that really sealed the deal.
“I had always heard about The Rep, and I appreciate the legacy of our former leaders, because I think that The Rep has meant a lot to the people of St Louis,” Williams says. “So what I think Hana and I are both excited about is how we make The Rep a place for everyone. How can we expand that footprint? How can we open the circle a bit more to really welcome more people into our space, wherever that is? How can we be more of a presence in all parts of St. Louis? And that excites me, because there's a lot of potential there.”
Expect Williams’ years of experience coupled with Sharif’s keen artistic eye to bring big things to The Rep in the coming years, and build an even stronger presence for the beloved St. Louis institution.
From L to R: Gene Dobbs Bradford, Celia L. Hosler
Jazz St. Louis
Who’s leaving:
Gene Dobbs Bradford, President and CEO
After 23 years at the helm of Jazz St. Louis, President and CEO Gene Dobbs Bradford announced in December he would be stepping down. Bradford led the organization from its original home at Jazz at the Bistro and a $300,000 budget to a multi-million dollar organization housed in their own Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz in Grand Center. Bradford will take his considerable talents to the Savannah Music Festival—Georgia’s largest musical arts event—in Savannah, Georgia, where he will be the Executive Director.
Who’s Next:
Celia L. Hosler (for now)
For now, Jazz St. Louis has hired the national executive search firm Phillips Oppenheim to assist in the recruitment of a President and CEO to replace Bradford. The New York-based firm is no stranger to the St. Louis non-profit world, as they helped recruit SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard. Jazz St. Louis is looking for a skilled leader and proven manager to provide “engagement, creativity, and guidance to both the organization and the multifaceted communities it serves,” according to a statement. During the search, former COCA COO and CFO Celia L. Hosler will serve as the part-time Interim President and CEO. Jazz St. Louis is looking to name a new President and CEO within four-to-six months.
Photography by Damjan Svarc
Daniela Candillari
Opera Theatre of St. Louis
Who’s new:
Daniela Candillari
Opera Theatre of St. Louis has created a new position for 2022, and is filling it with a fast-rising star in the opera world. Daniela Candillari will step into the brand-new role of Principal Conductor with OTSL this season for a three-year appointment. In this new position, Candillari will collaborate with Opera Theatre leadership in shaping the artistic direction of the company, providing oversight to ensure high quality performances, and further develop the theater’s creative partnership with the SLSO. Candillari will conduct one festival season production each year, as well as the annual Center Stage concert, which features the Opera Theatre’s Gerdine Young Artists and Richard Gaddes Festival Artists.
The Serbian-born Candillari made her OTSL debut in 2021 with the New Works, Bold Voices Lab. Last year she also led the SLSO in a concert of operatic hits, celebrating the historic 44-year partnership between OTSL and the SLSO. She has worked with many of the country’s leading orchestras and opera companies, including the New York Philharmonic, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Los Angeles Opera, and she was recently named Principal Opera Conductor of the Music Academy of the West. “I am extremely excited to be joining Opera Theatre of Saint Louis as Principal Conductor,” says Candillari. “During my debut in St. Louis last season, I felt welcomed by [OTSL], the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the audience; I also felt an incredible connection to the city and community of St. Louis. I look forward to building a strong relationship with [OTSL] in the coming years, and working with the entire team who make it a leading American opera company.”
Photography by Suzy Gorman
Lizi Watt
Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Who’s new:
Lizi Watt
Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis announced on February 7 that it would begin its seventh season by welcoming Lizi Watt as the festival’s new managing director. Watt, a St. Louis native, has spent the past 17 years between Los Angeles and Boulder, Colorado, where she’s worked in both theater performance and education.
“It brings me great pleasure to welcome Lizi back to St. Louis, where she will surely prove a valuable asset in helping this organization tell authentic stories with diverse artists, while reaching new and dynamic audiences that represent our community in all of its forms,” said Rhonda Carter-Adams, Co-Vice-President of the TWSTL Board of Directors, in a statement.
Watt’s performance credits include Daedalus’ Daughter at REDCAT, Hamlet with Prison Performing Arts, Weetzie Bat at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and many others. She is also the writer of House of Daughters, It’s a Girl, and solo performance piece mama.
