Royal Liverpool Philharmonic announces first female Chief Executive
The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic has announced the appointment of its first female chief executive in its 185-year history.
Vanessa Reed will take up the post in June, replacing CEO Michael Eakin who steps down ahead of Easter.
Reed is currently chief executive of New York-based New Music USA which supports music creation and performance across the United States.
Before that she was chief executive of the PRS Foundation in London, as well as being a member of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic board of trustees between 2016 and 2019, an ambassador for the University of Liverpool, and collaborating with Liverpool City Council to support emerging musicians.
Reed, who has a long association with the city through her family and is married to FACT founder Eddie Berg, said today: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be the first woman appointed to the role of Chief Executive at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. This unique organisation is very close to my heart and Liverpool is my favourite UK city.
“Every time I’ve seen the orchestra perform at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall I’ve been blown away by the quality of the players and the warmth of local audiences. I’m inspired by Liverpool Philharmonic’s mission to transform lives through music and I’m a longstanding fan of its three-way commitment to the orchestra, venues and learning programmes which reach over 100,000 young people every year.
Above: Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Top: Vanessa Reed is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic's new chief executive.
“My goal is to ensure that we, as one of the world’s oldest music societies, continue to evolve and thrive as we embark on our next imaginative chapter.
“This includes serving more of the city region’s musicians and young people through the planned “Abbey Road of the North” studios and tapping into Liverpool’s international brand for the benefit of our orchestra, led by our dynamic Chief Conductor Domingo Hindoyan.
“I can’t wait to join Domingo and the Liverpool Philharmonic’s outstanding musicians, staff, board, and supporters to make all of this happen and to enjoy lots of live music in Liverpool with the audiences we welcome to our performances.”
Michael Eakin announced last September that he was stepping down as chief executive after 16 years in the role.
His time in charge at Hope Street coincided with Capital of Culture and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s 175th anniversary, and he has also led the organisation through a £14m refurbishment of the historic Hope Street venue, the development of the In Harmony Liverpool programme and NHS Music and Health programme, and expansion of the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Company alongside the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir.