Respected Long Beach Symphony Orchestra (LBSO) Executive Director, Robert C. Jones, has announced that he will be leaving the orchestra following a three year tenure with the organization, two of which were spent as Executive Director.
“I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such talented and passionate people along with a tremendously supportive community,” stated Jones in a release to the press.
Effective September 30, Steven Bronfenbrenner will step in as interim director while the organization seeks out a formal executive director to permanently fill the position.
Founder and Principal with B Squared Consulting, Bronfenbrenner is a current consultant with the LBSO. His firm’s other current clients include the Pacific Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, the City of Charleston (SC)/Gaillard Center for the Performing Arts and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.
“I am honored and excited to have been asked by the Long Beach Symphony Board of Directors to assume the responsibilities of executive eirector,” Bronfenbrenner told the Post. “Working in collaboration with Maestro Diemecke, the Orchestra’s Board and staff and my associate Elena Bales, I look forward to advancing the important initiatives put in place by Bob Jones while conducting a successful search for strong future executive leadership for LBSO.”
Jones—following a rough year with the financial challenges facing all arts organizations—is happy to have worked with LBSO but looked forward to heading back home to Maryland, his home state.
“My wife Susan and I have maintained our residence in Maryland and we each have professional opportunities and family ties calling us home. We have two sons and a granddaughter back there,” he stated. “In addition to accepting some recent consulting offers, Susan and I will be joining a growing arts management firm, Chesapeake International Artists.”
The national search for the position has already started. While no firm timeline can be set, a typical search of this type normally takes three to six months. Qualified candidates may apply to [email protected].