Detroit, (February 2, 2026) – The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) today announced the appointment of Tanzalea Daniels to the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Daniels will officially begin on March 9, 2026, and will report to DSO President and CEO Erik Rönmark.
As a member of the DSO’s Executive Team, Daniels will lead all financial strategies for the organization and oversee the Human Resources and Information Technology teams. In close collaboration with the President and CEO and the Board of Directors, Daniels's work will advance the organization’s mission and support long-term strategic objectives.
“I am thrilled to welcome Tanzie to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra,” said Rönmark. “She brings not only deep financial expertise, but also valuable perspective in mission-driven leadership. As a Detroit native, she also demonstrates a clear passion for our community and its ongoing growth and prosperity. Her diverse background of connecting strategy, operations, and people-first values will strengthen the DSO’s foundation as we continue to grow and serve Detroit.”
Daniels is an experienced nonprofit finance leader with more than a decade of experience in senior financial and operational roles. She returns home to Detroit to join the DSO after six years in Cleveland, where she served as Director of Finance and Administrative Operations for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland and CFO for Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio. Click here for a photo of Daniels.
“I am honored to join the DSO and be a part of an organization that is changing lives,” said Daniels. “The orchestra’s commitment to community impact through the power of music is inspiring, and I have tremendous pride, having grown up in Detroit, to be a part of such a respected cultural institution. I’m eager to partner with Erik, the leadership team, and the Board to help sustain the DSO for years to come.”
About Tanzalea Daniels
An engaged leader passionate about helping others, Tanzalea “Tanzie” Daniels has built a career making an impact by leading teams and spearheading initiatives that increase revenue and efficiency while reducing expenditures. A Detroit native, Daniels looks forward to returning home to begin her new role with the DSO after spending the past six years in Cleveland, Ohio. She has supported her community through service on numerous boards, including the Cleveland Animal Protective League, Urban Community School, Milestones Autism Resources, Journey Center for Safety and Healing, and alumni associations for Butler University.
Daniels brings more than a decade of nonprofit experience, having served as Director of Finance and Administrative Operations for the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, CFO for Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, and Controller for the Detroit Zoological Society. Prior to her nonprofit career, Daniels held a range of finance and accounting roles, including Finance Manager for LafargeHolcim, a global construction materials manufacturer.
Daniels is a member of Leadership Cleveland’s Class of 2021 and a fellow of the Class of 2020 Allstate Foundation’s Nonprofit Executive Leadership Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. She has been recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business as a 40 Under 40 honoree and is both a fellow and past facilitator for the Rekindle Fellowship.
About the DSO
The acclaimed Detroit Symphony Orchestra is known for trailblazing performances, collaborations with the world’s foremost musical artists, and a deep connection to its city. Led by Music Director Jader Bignamini since 2020, the DSO makes its home at historic Orchestra Hall within the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center, offering a robust performance schedule that features classical, pops, jazz, and family concerts, plus community performances. Enrico Lopez-Yañez was named Principal Pops Conductor in 2023, trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard serves as the orchestra’s Fred A. Erb Jazz Creative Director Chair, and Tabita Berglund began her tenure as Principal Guest Conductor in the 2024–25 season. A dedication to broadcast innovation and technology began in 1922, when the DSO became the first orchestra in the world to present a live radio broadcast of a concert and continues today with the groundbreaking Live from Orchestra Hall series of free webcasts.
The DSO’s distinguished history of recordings—many led by its renowned music directors—spans nearly a century, beginning with the orchestra’s first 78 rpm singles with Ossip Gabrilowitsch released on the Victrola label in 1928. A steady recording output has continued since then, with highlights including more than 20 releases with Paul Paray for Mercury’s Living Presence series, and 27 under the baton of Neeme Järvi, mostly on the Chandos label. In the 1970s, the DSO took part in the historic Black Composers Series for Columbia Records led by its then-Associate Conductor Paul Freeman and later made several acclaimed recordings with Antal Doráti for the Decca label. More recently, under the direction of Leonard Slatkin, the DSO recorded music by Rachmaninoff, Copland, and John Williams for the Naxos label, earning its first GRAMMY® nomination in 2017 for Copland’s Third Symphony / Three Latin American Sketches. The first recording with Jader Bignamini, of Wynton Marsalis’s Blues Symphony, was released in March 2025 on the Pentatone label.
Since its first school concerts a century ago, and particularly since the founding of the Civic Youth Ensembles in 1970, the DSO has been a national leader in bringing the benefits of music education to students, teachers, and families in Detroit and surrounding communities. The DSO remains committed to expanding its participation in the growth and well-being of Detroit through programs like its Detroit Neighborhood Initiative—cultural events co-created with community partners and residents—and Detroit Harmony, a promise to provide an instrument and instruction to any student in the city who wants to learn. With unwavering support from the people of Detroit, the DSO actively pursues a mission to impact lives through the power of unforgettable musical experiences.