Farewell, Katie McGuinness!

In September, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra will lose a very special member of our community, Katie McGuinness, Director of Artistic Planning, who will assume the position of Vice President of Artistic Operations for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Katie started working for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in January 2017 as the Director of Artistic Planning. Prior to that, she held positions at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, HarrisonParrott, London and the Aspen Music Festival and School. She shared the following with us as she departs:

Working for the musicians of the ISO has been an honor and has, without doubt, been the best part of my position here. Their support has been so generous and has helped me to grow within my position. These musicians are always willing to collaborate and are incredibly creative with suggestions on how to help the orchestra flourish within the community and beyond.

Their eagerness to brainstorm ideas that support the health of the organization is remarkable. They are open-minded and very aware of how the orchestra can evolve to stay relevant within the community. I have seen the orchestra develop artistically at a rapid pace over the years and have watched every guest conductor marvel at their abilities. The orchestra is at a perfect moment on its artistic journey, with several new players joining the orchestra recently.

Many of these new musicians are principal players so with their next Music Director, they have the ability to create a sound that is unique to them, like many other major symphony orchestras have. Along with this, the new musicians are joined by many seasoned and experienced players who know the history of the orchestra, which will help enormously in making sure it stays on the right path through this next phase. This is an important step for the orchestra to take and will be an exciting moment for their future. I will be forever grateful and I’m excited to see what the future holds for the ISO.

Katie’s remarks are gracious and the Musicians of the ISO enthusiastically reciprocate the admiration. At a recent send-off party in Katie’s honor, we expressed our gratitude for her notable endeavors and accomplishments, her commitment to brilliant and creative programming, and her engagement of great conductors and guest artists to perform with us. Katie has always been welcoming, open-minded and communicative, inviting our ideas and implementing them. It is hard to imagine a more supportive and successful administrator.

Katie’s parting gift to us is the amazing season that she has planned for 2021-2022 (which we will highlight in a future newsletter). For now, we wish to sincerely thank Katie for all she has done for the ISO. Best of luck, Katie, as you move forward in your career. Dallas is fortunate, indeed.