ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra has announced that Sarah Calderini will be its new executive director.
A former director and board chair of the University Music Society at the University of Michigan, Calderini, will begin her appointment on Friday, Dec. 10, during the orchestra’s 93rd season.
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She will take over for current A2SO executive director, Tyler Rand, who be moving onto a role with a theater company in Houston, Texas. Rand took on the mantle of executive director in 2019 upon the retirement of Mary Steffek Blaske.
A Chicago native, Calderini holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Union College in New York. She also graduated from the EXCEL program in Arts Leadership & Entrepreneurship at the U-M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance, and from the Executive Strategy in Arts and Culture program by National Arts Strategies and the University of Pennsylvania.
She comes to the symphony after a long career in sales at Procter & Gamble and at a 16-year private business venture, bringing perspective from the corporate, entrepreneurial, and nonprofit sectors, the symphony said in a release.
“Sarah has demonstrated a long-term dedication and passion to enrich the arts culture in our community. She has the leadership experience and acumen to guide the continued growth of the A2SO as well as the vision to expand the reach of our orchestra’s culture of artistic excellence. I am excited to watch the symphony have an even deeper impact and stronger engagement under her leadership,” said A2SO Board President Carol Sewell in a statement.
The A2SO performs to 70,000 listeners annually and engages with Ann Arbor audiences through educational performances, community concerts, radio shows, virtual concerts and special events.
In a statement, Calderini said that she is delighted to work with the orchestra’s musicians, board of directors, supporters, audience members and the Ann Arbor community.
“Looking ahead to our centenary year in 2028, we know this: we come together through an ever-expanding love of the music we hold dear, but we stay together through shared experiences that are inclusive and accessible, build and strengthen our communities, and create opportunities for sustainable and meaningful impact. I look forward with great excitement to our next vibrant chapter at the A2SO,” she said.