Alan Silow, President and CEO of the Santa Rosa Symphony announces retirement after 21 years at the helm

October 19, 2022

Santa Rosa Symphony President and CEO Alan Silow has announced his retirement effective June 30, 2023. A search committee will be formed and put in place to identify and hire the next President & CEO by the beginning of the 2023-2024 season.

“For the past twenty years, it has been my privilege, my honor – and my good fortune – to serve as the President & CEO of the Santa Rosa Symphony," says Silow. "The SRS is solidly on the state and national orchestral map for organizational excellence - artistically, educationally, and financially - which is what I set out to do when I took on administrative leadership 20 years ago. Building this organization has not been an easy task, but it’s been a worthwhile one. The most important thing that I’m taking with me is the knowledge and proof that our work has made a meaningful difference in the lives of our community and in a small way, made the world a better place. I am confident that the Santa Rosa Symphony is going to continue to flourish and evolve.”

Corinne Byrd, Chairman of the Board, upon accepting Alan’s resignation, reflected on his time with the Symphony: “Alan Silow is a legend in our midst. Nurturing relationships and community have been central to his commitment and work. During Alan’s 20-year tenure, the orchestra has seen a new level of artistic excellence and fiscal stability. He is one-in-a-million and will be missed beyond words. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

20-year highlights & accomplishments:

  • Turned around the SRS fiscal scenario from red to black in one year with core vs. non-core program identification, deficit reduction plan, financial controls, and by becoming the sole negotiator of artistic contracts
  • Maintained close budget oversight leading to 19 consecutive annual years of surplus, unsurpassed by any other CA orchestra
  • Clarified and negotiated improved operational terms with planned Green Music Center while heading up SRS fundraising to the capital campaign, eventually doubling the initial commitment from $10 million to $20 million
  • Initiated a first-time written board responsibilities statement, that over time led to a substantial increase in annual board giving from $70,000 to over $500,000
  • Initiated the first major gala fundraiser event that has grown annually to net over $300,000
  • Grew music education services by establishing the first El Sistema program, Simply Strings, at Shepard elementary school in Santa Rosa, It’s Elementary year-long music immersion programs and initiating four Youth Orchestra international concert tours
  • Oversaw budgetary growth from $1.5 million to $5 million with primary growth going towards new performances serving other community interests– chamber music, pops, family, opera, film score, free community concerts
  • Oversaw endowment campaign that raised $4 million in 2 years and overall saw endowment grow from $1.5 million in FY02 to over $18 million in FY22
  • Worked closely with three Music Directors; being an active member of the search committee that chose Francesco Leece-Chong and Bruno Ferrandis and negotiated contract renewals
  • Led management team in negotiating over time three economically viable multi-year union contracts
  • Initiated free concerts for Hurricane Katrina survivors and Tubbs Fire survivors that raised donations of over $60,000 (most by any U.S. orchestra) and over $115,000 respectively
  • During the first COVID season when nearly all CA orchestras went dark, persevered thru the myriad of governmental bureaucracies to perform video-recorded high-quality performances under strict COVID protocols, streamed on YouTube for free that reached patrons in 3 countries and 23 states leading to the highest level of individual donations
  • Oversaw government grant applications during COVID, which went from previous years of $20,000 to over $1 million in FY22
  • Major personal fundraiser with individual donors during his tenure
  • Received several awards in recognition of service including the first ‘Heart of Sonoma County Excellence in Leadership’ in 2022

Alan Silow graduated Phi Beta Kappa with an undergraduate B.A. degree in Economics with Honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He currently sits on the Boards of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber of Commerce and Visit Santa Rosa to provide better cross-cultivation between the arts, tourism, and business.