President and CEO, Vancouver Symphony Society
Jeff Alexander was named to the position of President & CEO of the Vancouver Symphony Society in September 2000. As such, he serves as the chief administrator for the organization, responsible for overseeing board, government and community relations, long-range planning, and day-to-day management for Western Canada’s largest performing arts organization and Canada’s third largest symphony orchestra with an annual budget of over $14 million.
Since his appointment, Alexander has worked closely with VSO Music Director Bramwell Tovey, the organization’s Board of Directors, musicians, staff and volunteers to strengthen every aspect of the organization’s artistic, fiscal, community, governance and administrative activities. With the implementation of a new strategic plan in 2002, subsequent updates, and a wide variety of new programs, the organization has experienced significant growth in subscription and single ticket sales, as well as individual, corporate and government support, resulting in a surplus on annual operations for nine of the last ten years.
Alexander has also supported a number of innovations at the VSO, including the reformatting, expansion and creation of concert series; significant growth in the organization’s educational and community programs and community partnerships; the use of video screens in the concert hall; the Society’s first endowment campaign ($10.2M raised to date); the purchase and implementation of Tessitura (the first orchestra in Canada to own and operate this integrated ticketing/fundraising software package developed by the Metropolitan Opera); the planning and implementation of an Asia-Pacific tour with concerts in Korea, Macau and China in October 2008 (the first international tour for the orchestra in 17 years); a May 2009 tour to Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City (the orchestra’s first performances in these cities in 33 years); a January 2013 tour to the U.S. West Coast (the orchestra’s first U.S. tour in 35 years) and the creation of the state-of-the-art 25,000 square foot VSO School of Music directly next to the orchestra’s home, the Orpheum Theatre, now home to over 950 students and 60 faculty members. The result has been a renewed spirit of support and admiration for the orchestra locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Prior to joining the VSO, Alexander spent sixteen years at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, including twelve as General Manager. As such, he was the “second in command” for the sixth oldest and eighth largest orchestra in the United States, with an annual budget of $28 million. In this position, he managed an orchestra of 99 full time musicians, and was responsible for all elements of program planning, concert production, and orchestra relations. He participated in four master agreement negotiations; planned and managed 12 domestic tours, each with concerts in Carnegie Hall, and four international tours, with concerts throughout Europe and Asia.
Alexander was responsible for the production of over sixty recordings and seven national television programs for both the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. He served on the Steering Committee which planned activities for the Orchestra’s 100th Anniversary Season in 1995; a 1998 Long Range Planning Task Force; and in 1999 the Music Director Search Committee.
Concurrent with the above, Alexander managed the Cincinnati May Festival, an annual choral festival founded in 1873 for which the CSO is the official orchestra.
Prior to being named General Manager, he served the CSO as Director of Regional and Educational Programs, overseeing all educational activities, and a series of orchestral and chamber music concerts in sixteen communities throughout Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky.
From 1982 to 1984, Alexander served as General Manager of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra in Texas and from 1980 to 1982 as General Manager of Grapa Concerts in New York City, an artist management firm specializing in organizing Latin American tours for North American and European soloists and ensembles.
Jeff Alexander is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he majored in French Horn Performance. He has been a member of the League of American Orchestras since 1984 and Orchestras Canada since 2000. He was elected to the Board of Directors of Orchestras Canada in 2001 and during the subsequent ten years served on its Nominating, Executive Director Search and Bylaw Review Committees, was Vice-Chair of the Board from 2005 – 2007, Chair from 2007 – 2009 and in 2010 chaired its Leadership & Professional Development Task Force. He has served on adjudication panels for the Canada Council for the Arts, British Columbia Arts Council, YWCA of Greater Vancouver and the Alcan Awards, as well as a member of the City of Vancouver’s 125thAnniversary Advisory Committee, and for six years the Vancouver Foundation’s Arts & Culture Advisory Committee.
