Santa Rosa Symphony names new CEO

After a six-month search, the Santa Rosa Symphony has chosen Los Angeles Children’s Chorus Executive Director J. Andrew Bradford to take over for President and CEO Alan Silow, who will retire in July after keeping a steady hand on the orchestra’s fiscal rudder for the past 21 years.

“I am eager to get back to the orchestral field, and what a better way to do that than with the Santa Rosa Symphony,” Bradford said. “My true passion has always been orchestral music. I fell in love with the sound of the orchestra in Weill Hall, and Francesco’s vision. It’s an exemplar of the ideal 21st-century orchestra.”

Bradford’s track record with a wide range of arts organizations, his impressive organizational skills and his collaborative spirit impressed the 10-member search committee, according to Keven Brown, who co-chaired the committee with board member Jamei Haswell.

“He is a very genuine, well-spoken and a caring person,” Brown said. “I think we’re in very good hands, and I’m looking forward to the next few years. His enthusiasm is infectious.”

During his tenure at the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, Bradford grew enrollment to a record 440-plus singers and achieved consecutive budget surpluses. The chorus also won a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance in 2022 for its participation in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s recording of Mahler Symphony No. 8.

In earlier management posts, Bradford served as executive director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder and the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra in Chicago. He also has worked in fundraising, marketing and operations for the Houston Symphony as well as the National Symphony Orchestra and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, both in Washington, D.C.

“I like that he brings experience from the orchestral world but also from working outside of it,” said Santa Rosa Symphony Music Director Francesco Lecce-Chong, who will complete his fifth season in Santa Rosa next month. “It’s great to have someone bring an outside perspective.”

In the wake of the pandemic, arts organizations have struggled to recapture pre-COVID levels of ticket and subscription sales, Lecce-Chong said. It’s an “all-hands-on-deck” situation that requires nonprofits like the symphony to aggressively grow their audience, and he expects Bradford to lead the charge.

“What really excites me is that he has the same attention to detail and relentless creative drive that I have on the musical side,” Lecce-Chong said. “I think he and I share that same excitement about connecting with people and connecting people with the arts. ... We both have outgoing personalities and will be the faces of the organization.”

The 40-year-old Bradford, who lives in Redwood City with his wife and 2-year-old daughter, plans to resettle in Sonoma County before July 10, when he will start his new job. His wife, MyungJu Yeo, is a professional musician who serves as principal flute player for the Marin Symphony and Symphony San Jose.

A native of New York City, Bradford grew up in an academic family with a strong affinity for classical music. His mom was a pianist before attending business school, and he trained as a cellist.

Bradford earned his bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and later studied music and management at the University of Michigan, where he holds a master’s degree. He also graduated from the prestigious Arts Management Fellowship program at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

“Music stayed with me through college, and I had a calling for arts management,” he said. “I wake up every day feeling so grateful to be able to do what I do.”

The search committee narrowed the field to three finalists by early March, when each was invited to Sonoma County for an in-person interview with Lecce-Chong and others on the search committee.

“He was the one person who was spot-on with everything we were dealing with,” Brown said. “He knew about the symphony, our strengths and our weaknesses. He did a presentation on audience development and gave tangible examples. He had more than done his research.”

Bradford was viewed as a good fit for the regional symphony because he already has a deep knowledge of the Bay Area and its robust performing arts scene.

“The Bay Area is home to a remarkable group of orchestras, so it’s important to understand how this ecosystem works,” Bradford said. “It’s also about understanding the philanthropic landscape and embracing the role of fundraiser.”

Bradford said his broad experience in arts management, and deep knowledge of classical music in particular, allows him to understand the unique partnership between a music director and a president and CEO.

“Francesco will have someone in me that understands his vision and will work every day to achieve that,” he said. “Everybody is looking ahead to the centennial season, which is about four years away. So we want to make sure that season is unforgettable and really takes everything to the next level.”

The symphony will mark its centennial season with the 2027-2028 season.

Tipping his hat to his predecessor, Bradford praised Silow for keeping the orchestra in good shape through the growth and challenges of the past 21 years, which spanned three music directors, a move into a new hall, recessions and a worldwide pandemic.

Although he has plans to travel with his wife, Silow expects to continue his relationship with the symphony as a consultant to Bradford and as an audience member.

Lecce-Chong will step down as music director of the Eugene Symphony Orchestra after next season, his seventh and final full season in the Oregon college town, so he can create more flexibility in his work schedule and concentrate on taking the Santa Rosa Symphony to the next level.

“I will get to take it up a notch here,” Lecce-Chong said. “I still believe we’re at the tip of the iceberg as far as what this orchestra is capable of.”