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Maryland Symphony Orchestra Names Jonathan Parrish as Executive Director

HAGERSTOWN, Md. – September 12, 2019 – The Maryland Symphony Orchestra announced Jonathan Parrish has been selected as the new Executive Director of the organization. Parrish has served as the Executive Director of the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra since 2013.

“I am delighted that Jonathan Parrish will be joining the MSO as our new Executive Director,” said Elizabeth Schulze, Music Director and Conductor of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra. “His deep knowledge of the repertoire and his extensive and intensive experience with the Hawai‘i Symphony as both a principal musician and chief administrator make him an ideal colleague. I look forward to working with him to meaningfully strengthen and deepen our ties to the community and to ensure that the MSO continues as an important cultural leader in our region.”

Parrish moved to Hawaii in 1998 to be Assistant Principal/Utility Horn with the Honolulu Symphony. In 2013, he was named the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra’s Executive Director, after eleven years as General Manager of Chamber Music Hawaii. During his tenure, Parrish guided both organizations through periods of dramatic growth in audience and expansion of programming. At Chamber Music Hawaii, he oversaw the expansion of statewide educational programming on all Hawaiian Islands.

He was previously Assistant Principal Horn for four seasons at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, DC and was Principal Horn in the Maryland Symphony, Harrisburg Symphony, and National Chamber Orchestra for five years. He is a graduate of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University and James Madison University and has performed with the Baltimore, National, New Haven, Roanoke, Fairfax, and Richmond symphonies, as well as the Orquesta Filarmonica de la UNAM in Mexico City.

“It’s a special privilege and honor to have this opportunity to return to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra as Executive Director,” Parrish said in a statement. “I’m very excited about working with Music Director Elizabeth Schulze, the MSO board, staff and musicians to continue to sustain and grow this remarkable orchestra. My family and I are very excited about returning to the area and making Hagerstown our new home.”

Parrish will attend the MSO’s season opener, Carmina Burana, on October 19-20 at the Maryland Theatre Performing Arts Complex, said Melinda Marsden, President of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors.

Speaking on behalf of the board, Marsden said, “We are so happy to be welcoming Jonathan to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra family. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber and experience to lead the organization. I commend the members of the Board of Directors and the search committee for the countless hours of work that went into this search. I am also grateful for the advice and guidance of Andrew Kipe, the MSO’s Interim Executive Director.”

Parrish will begin his transition in October and will assume his full-time responsibilities with the Maryland Symphony Orchestra on December 2.

ABOUT MARYLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Founded in 1982, Maryland Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 38th season as the area’s premier professional orchestra.  Under the musical direction of Maestra Elizabeth Schulze, the Maryland Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to providing musical performances that educate and entertain, while enhancing the cultural environment of Western Maryland and the surrounding region. Learn more: www.marylandsymphony.org

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www.marylandsymphony.org