Charlotte Symphony President and CEO Mary Deissler is leaving at the end of the summer to work as an arts consultant in Boston.
“Mary has been an absolute game-changer, and I’m not sure that the Charlotte Symphony would have survived financially if she had not taken the helm,” Charlotte Symphony Board Chairman Derek Raghavan said in a news release “She has made tough decisions to help us achieve financial stability and financial stability was a goal of Deissler's early on."
"People need to want to be on this journey with us. We must make the symphony strong, financially viable, and relevant to the community. That’s a shift for some people and that's ok if it's not the right job for folks, it's important to have the right people on the bus," Deissler told WFAE in 2017.
The Symphony news release also says Deissler increased the organization’s community outreach with music education for kids in need, and starting the “On Tap” series at breweries.
“I am grateful to Mary for her partnership and resolve,” Music Director Christopher Warren-Green said in a prepared statement. “She challenged the status quo and worked to achieve financial stability that is the critical bedrock to the growth of our orchestra.”
Deissler’s resignation is effective Aug. 31. Vice President of Development Michelle Hamilton will lead the orchestra until a replacement is found.