HARTFORD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA APPOINTS ANDREA STALF PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors has appointed Andrea Stalf as President and Chief Executive Officer of the HSO.  She began her position on October 24. Stalf will oversee administrative operations and fundraising, and will partner with the artistic leadership of new Music Director Carolyn Kuan.  In January of this year, Carolyn Kuan was appointed as the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 10^th Music Director – and is the first woman to lead the HSO in its nearly 70-year history.  Kuan began her tenure on a full-time basis at the start of the 2011-2012 season this October. 

The HSO board began a formal search process for a new President and CEO to replace Kristen Phillips in May of 2011.  Phillips led the HSO in this position for three years and is currently Senior Vice President with Lincoln Financial Group at its Greater Philadelphia headquarters.  From June to October, Carrie Hammond has served as Interim CEO of the HSO, overseeing the orchestra’s 16^th annual Talcott Mountain Music Festival and the September fundraising gala and free community concert featuring Carolyn Kuan’s debut performances as Music Director.

Andrea Stalf is a seasoned executive whose successful 22-year career in corporate marketing and general management includes senior positions with Fortune 100 firms in insurance, telecommunications and consumer products.  Stalf moved to Hartford in 2007 when she accepted the position of Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for the Personal Lines insurance business of Travelers.   She helped build Travelers as a consumer brand.  Stalf has an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana, and a Master of Science degree in environmental engineering from the University of Minnesota.  She earned an MBA in Marketing from the Kellogg Graduate School of management at Northwestern University.  Stalf and her husband David Lampert live in Avon with their sons Ben and Max. They are life-long music lovers and concertgoers; their sons are serious students of piano, guitar and clarinet.

“The HSO embarked on a bold and visionary process that started with the appointment of world-renowned Carolyn Kuan as our Music Director earlier this year,” said James S. Remis, HSO Chairman of the Board of Directors.  “That process continued with an exhaustive, nationwide executive search for a President and CEO, in which Andrea’s enormous energy, intellect and proven leadership put her clearly at the top.”  Remis adds, “We’re proud to have built this team of incredible talent here in Hartford.  What matters most is that the HSO’s thousands of patrons, supporters and fans are getting a concert experience that is not just amazing, it’s second to none.”

HSO Music Director Carolyn Kuan says, "It’s a great time for the HSO and Andrea’s appointment as President and CEO is even more good news.  Thank you to Jim and the Board members who made this possible. Ultimately, the performance is everything and working with Andrea and our remarkably gifted musicians will ensure that each concert at the HSO is something very special.”

Newly appointed HSO President and CEO Andrea Stalf commented, “It’s a thrill and honor to work with Carolyn Kuan; she gives herself entirely to each performance.” Stalf added, “Carolyn is a visionary and right now the HSO is at the vanguard of orchestras with its rich heritage of artistic talent and dedication to community service.  I'm really excited to be a part of it and committed to its continuing success.”

About the Hartford Symphony Orchestra

Marking its 68th season in 2011-2012, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra is Connecticut’s premier musical organization, the second largest orchestra in New England, and is widely recognized as one of America’s leading regional orchestras. In January, 2011, Carolyn Kuan was appointed as the 10^th Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and began her tenure on a full-time basis at the start of the 2011-2012 season this October. 

Dedicated to the performance of live symphonic music and the presentation of quality education and community programs, each season the Hartford Symphony plays to audiences numbering approximately 125,000. Supported by more than 4,500 subscribers and 2,000 donors, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s extensive array of Musical Pathways educational activities serves more than 64,000 individuals in Hartford and surrounding communities annually. For more information about the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, please visit www.hartfordsymphony.org.

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra’s 2011-2012 season is sponsored by Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The HSO additionally receives major support from the Greater Hartford Arts Council, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Carolyn Kuan

Carolyn Kuan is increasingly recognized as one of the most exciting, innovative and outstanding conductors of her generation. Newly appointed the 10^th Music Director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Kuan’s recent North America engagements have included concerts with the Baltimore, San Francisco, Detroit, Seattle, Milwaukee, North Carolina, and Toledo symphonies; the Florida and Louisville orchestras; the New York City Ballet; and the New York City Opera.  Recent international engagements have included concerts with the Bournemouth Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Yucatán.  In her debut album to be released in January 2012, Ms. Kuan conducts the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra for the Naxos label.

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