Oklahoma City—The Oklahoma City Philharmonic (OKCPHIL) has named David Hyslop Interim Executive Director. Hyslop is a 50-plus year orchestra industry veteran and former CEO of the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony, and Oregon Symphony.

“We are fortunate to have someone like David as Interim Director,” said Jane Jayroe-Gamble, President, OKCPHIL Board of Directors. “He has a deep background in orchestra management that helps us bridge the gap during this time of transition.

“The OKCPHIL has a remarkable team in place already,” Jayroe-Gamble continued. “And having someone as experienced as David in this position gives us the time to select and put in place the next Executive Director.”

Since 2004, Hyslop has consulted arts organizations around the country, specializing in strategic planning, fundraising, executive coaching, and endowment and capital campaigns. In addition to his leadership roles at three orchestras, Hyslop previously served other interim positions, including the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and West Virginia and Tulsa Symphony Orchestras.

“I am deeply honored and privileged to have been asked to serve as interim Director

of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic,” said Hyslop. “It is my hope that my long career as CEO of three major American orchestras and my work in the arts and fundraising consulting field over the last few years will be of value to the OKCPHIL as it moves forward during this critical moment in its history.”

 

Biography-David Hyslop

 

David Hyslop's career in arts management includes 32 years serving as Chief Executive Officer for three of the nation’s top symphony orchestras—Minnesota Orchestra (1991-2003), St. Louis Symphony (1978-1991), and Oregon Symphony (1972-1978).

During his long tenures in Minnesota and St. Louis, Hyslop was also responsible for the operation of Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis and Powell Hall in St. Louis.

Since 2004, Hyslop has spearheaded consulting projects throughout the country, drawing on his vast experience in the arts to help clients achieve their goals. His many consulting projects have included successful executive searches for the Canton Symphony, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony and the Sun Valley Center for the Arts, strategic planning for the Santa Fe Opera and the Amarillo Symphony Orchestra, executive coaching for the Houston Symphony, and development feasibility studies for the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra endowment campaign and the Wheaton Grand Theater (Illinois) redevelopment and business planning project.

Hyslop has served on the boards of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association, Minneapolis Downtown Council, League of American Orchestras, and the Minnesota State Fair Foundation. He has also been brought in as an “expert in the field” on consulting projects with CH Johnson Consulting in Chicago, Illinois, and WolfBrown in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Hyslop’s illustrious career has brought him many honors. Among these, a Minnesota Orchestra Subscription Concert was dedicated to him in his final season with the Orchestra. The David J. Hyslop Trumpet Chair was Endowed in Perpetuity by the St. Louis Symphony in 1991. Fanfare for D.H. was composed for Mr. Hyslop’s 10th Anniversary with the Symphony by Pulitzer-winning composer Joseph Schwantner. He was awarded the Martha Baird Rockefeller Grant by the League of American Orchestras in 1966.

Hyslop received his B.S. in Music Education from Ithaca College.

 

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