- Vice Presidents Jill Elder and Linda Lutz appointed to new roles with added oversight responsibilities
- Kathryn Ginsburg named General Manager; Alex Kapordelis and Jessica Ruiz promoted to Senior Directors
- Charles Buchanan is DSO’s new Senior Director of Marketing & Audience Development, and Hannah Lozon is named Senior Director of Talent & Culture
Detroit, (February 7, 2022) – Erik Rönmark, President and CEO of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO), today shared news of two new hires and updates to the orchestra’s organizational structure and senior leadership team.
Current Vice Presidents Jill Elder and Linda Lutz have been appointed to new positions within the organization with increased oversight responsibilities. Elder, formerly Chief Development Officer, has been named Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer, with oversight of the DSO’s Advancement, Communications, and Marketing teams. Lutz, formerly Chief Financial Officer, has been named Vice President and Chief Financial & Administrative Officer, with oversight of the Finance, Human Resources, and Building Services departments.
“I want to thank Linda and Jill for all their help and guidance during this transition,” said Rönmark, who was named the new President & CEO of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra on December 8 and began in the role on December 20. “Their promotions are much deserved, and I simply could not ask for a stronger or more supportive Executive Team!”
The DSO is also pleased to announce the hiring of two new Senior Directors. Charles Buchanan has been appointed Senior Director of Marketing & Audience Development and comes to the DSO from the New York Philharmonic, where he most recently served as Director of Marketing. Hannah Lozon has been named Senior Director of Talent & Culture, joining the DSO from the University of Michigan’s LSA Opportunity Hub where she served as Operations Lead. (See below for Buchanan’s and Lozon’s bios.)
Kathryn Ginsburg, formerly the DSO’s Senior Director of Operations and Orchestra Manager, has been promoted to General Manager. Earlier this winter, the DSO promoted Alex Kapordelis to Senior Director, Campaign, and Jessica Ruiz to Senior Director of Artistic Planning, joining fellow senior directors Matt Carlson, Senior Director of Communications & Media Relations; Jeremiah Hess, Senior Director of Accounting & Finance; Jill Rafferty, Senior Director of Advancement; and Caen Thomason-Redus, Senior Director of Community & Learning.
“I welcome Charles and Hannah to the DSO’s senior staff and look forward to working with them,” Rönmark said. “These new hires and promotions, as well as the changes to our staffing structure, will allow for a more effective and streamlined approach to our operations. I am tremendously proud of this team. Their work ethic and resilience have been instrumental to our institutional success, particularly during these past two seasons.”
Charles Buchanan
Charles Buchanan has held marketing and sales positions in the performing arts for 18 years. He most recently served seven years at the New York Philharmonic across multiple marketing management roles including Director of Marketing. There he led a team of eight and was responsible for driving $21 million in ticket revenue and an attendance of 340,000 across 150 events per year. Buchanan operated the marketing team with analytics and insights at the core of marketing strategies to maximize audience engagement and lifetime value. These efforts led to increased attendance and retention rates across all customer segments, including the 24,000-subscriber base. Buchanan and his team successfully launched the marketing campaign for NYPhil+, the New York Philharmonic’s new streaming platform, and generated 2,000 paid subscriptions in its first year.
Buchanan has also held positions on the marketing teams of the Sydney Opera House in Australia and New York’s 92nd Street Y. At the Sydney Opera House, he helped launch the inaugural Data & Insights Division, in which analytics was used to improve campaigns across the institution, including those of the marketing, philanthropy, and tourism teams. Prior to his marketing experience, Buchanan led and mentored customer service and box office teams at Pittsburgh’s City Theatre Company and New York’s Public Theater. He is a champion of the optimal use of marketing technology, particularly Tessitura, the leading CRM software used by performing arts organizations. Buchanan helped launch and lead an industry group in New York devoted to learning and networking among the city’s hundreds of Tessitura users. He also held leadership positions on the annual Tessitura Learning & Community Conference planning committee. Buchanan is a native of Olean, New York, and a graduate of Penn State University.
Hannah Lozon
Hannah Lozon is a talent management and human resources professional, as well as a social justice educator, trainer, coach, and consultant. Her background includes a wealth of experience in talent acquisition, leadership development and coaching, social justice, and development of organizational culture. Lozon’s talent management efforts are coupled with intercultural organizational development, working to structure the workplace as one where employees feel safe, valued, trusted, and affirmed. She has worked at several flagship universities across the country in operations, social justice education, and residential housing roles, including the University of Arizona, University of Vermont, and most recently the University of Michigan. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan, a Master’s of Education from the University of Vermont, and obtained her HR certificate from Michigan State University.