‘Growing up, the Atlanta Symphony was my orchestra …’

The Orchestra is proud to introduce Stanley E. Romanstein, Ph.D., as its new president. Previously the President and CEO of the Minnesota Humanities Center in St. Paul,  Dr. Romanstein officially began his tenure on May 3.  Dr. Romanstein is an accomplished non-profit executive with 22 years of leadership and management experience in education and the arts. At the Minnesota Humanities  Center from 2001–2010, he focused the center’s mission around clear, measurable  objectives, consistent with the agency’s history and mandate. He developed a strategic plan to fulfill that mission, and articulated the mission to audiences throughout  Minnesota. Prior to that position, Dr. Romanstein was Director of Development at the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis (2000–2001); Executive Director of the Baltimore School for the Arts and Baltimore School for the Arts Foundation (1996–2000); and  Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Music at St. Lawrence University (1987–1996).  Dr. Romanstein recently discussed his career path with ASO Insider Ken Meltzer.

What aspects of the city of Atlanta and the Atlanta Symphony made you want to become the Orchestra’s President?

As a kid growing up in Charleston, S.C., the Atlanta Symphony was my orchestra and its then music director, Robert Shaw, was my hero and my inspiration. That I would be invited to lead this orchestra into a new era of accomplishment is both humbling and incredibly exciting.

One of the things that impresses me about  Atlanta is its entrepreneurial spirit, its desire to be great. I remember reading that in 1895,  Atlanta, then a city of about 75,000 and in the economic doldrums, had the vision to create a Cotton States Exposition that brought over 800,000 visitors from around the world to the city of Atlanta and repositioned this city forward economically.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is another of those entrepreneurial visions. The Orchestra was founded in 1945. As a country, we were trying to deal with the aftermath of World War II, but this city had the foresight to say, “If we want to be a regional and national leader, our city needs industry, a strong system of public and private education, and a vibrant community of individuals and organizations invested in the arts and humanities. Now is the time.” I think that’s quite astounding, but that strikes me as the spirit of Atlanta: dealing with the realities of the moment, while planning for and aspiring towards even greater things for tomorrow. I find Atlanta to be a very hopeful place.

You come from a family with a strong commitment to music and education. Tell us a little about your background.

I am a musician from a family of musicians. As a musician, I never underestimate the power of music to move, to transform, to provoke, to unite, to inspire. I think it’s critical that the leader of any arts organization remember that people come to us, connect with us, work with us, people give to us because of the innate power of music. It’s all too easy to get diverted into thinking that it’s about the budget or the business model. Those things are vitally important, but they are important only in their relationship to the power of the music.

You’ve had the opportunity to meet with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra board, as well as its music director Robert Spano, the musicians and administrators. What are your initial impressions of the organization and its people?

I just adore Robert – and I connected with him the first time we met. He is the face and voice and spirit of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and we are so fortunate to have him. I find that Robert’s boundless enthusiasm is echoed by the musicians, the staff, the Board, our patrons, and by our wonderful corps of volunteers. There is a palpable sense of energy here, a keen interest in moving forward and doing great things that I find very, very exciting.

There is a longstanding tradition among American orchestras to hire orchestra administrators to serve as their presidents. Your career has taken a somewhat different path. How do you feel your educational background, life and career experiences position you to address the challenges and responsibilities serving as president of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra?

In searching for a new leader, the Orchestra was looking for someone who could articulate a strategic vision for the organization, someone who could speak passionately about the importance of that vision to a wide audience, and someone who could engage others to make the vision a reality. I am the beneficiary of classic conservatory training from one of the best schools in the country — the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. I left the Conservatory well-versed in sonata form, French Impressionism, the works of J.S. Bach, the operas of Verdi and Wagner. I began my career at St. Lawrence University, a magnificent school that offers a traditional liberal arts education with an emphasis on international programs and studies. A few of my faculty colleagues were musicians, but many more were historians and mathematicians, and political scientists. My students were serious about studying music, but they knew that they wanted to make their careers as attorneys and bankers and educators and businesspeople. The challenge at St. Lawrence was to make outstanding music and to be able to talk about music — with administrators, with faculty colleagues, with a broad range of students — in ways that non-specialists would find engaging, compelling, and worthwhile. At the Conservatory, I learned how to communicate with people inside the world of classical music; at St. Lawrence, I learned how to communicate effectively about classical music to a much wider audience.

The Baltimore School for the Arts was created to offer inner city kids, largely African Americans, an opportunity to use their potential for a career in the arts to, quite literally, change their lives. As Director of the School I saw firsthand the raw power of music, theater, dance, and the visual arts to transform lives. The School for the Arts takes an elemental approach: eight-hour days, five days a week. Half a day of immersion in the arts, the other half in academic study. No clubs, no sports teams, no newspapers, no student government. Work – hard work. And all that hard work pays off: 99 percent of the school’s students graduate on time and go on to their choice of our nation’s best colleges, universities, and professional schools. The Juilliard School accepts more graduates of the Baltimore School for the Arts than from any other school in the country.

My job was to translate the passion and drive and success of the school’s students into a message that would inspire our board, that would move our funders, that would bolster support from the community, and that would keep a rather large faculty – 125 lively, quirky, incredible artists – moving together and moving forward. I don’t know that I’ve ever had more fun. From the Baltimore School for the Arts, I learned about the power of the arts to change lives, and I became passionate about telling that story to benefit the school and its students. Those are some of the more important skills and experiences that I bring to Atlanta.

What are your short- and long-term goals for the Atlanta Symphony?

First, let’s celebrate this world-class, Grammy award-winning Orchestra. We don’t have to go to New York or London to hear great music; it’s available right here in Midtown. Second, the Orchestra has not been immune to the economic difficulties of the past few years. We must be certain that we are using all of our resources — our musicians, our staff, our volunteers, our dollars — as effectively and efficiently as possible. And, finally, we need to demonstrate that we are passionate about the artists, the music, and the audiences of today and about the artists, the music, and the audiences of tomorrow. Music education programs in our schools are being decimated at an alarming rate. The research is overwhelming: arts education strengthens academic achievement in every area — reading, math, the humanities and the sciences. Strong programs in music education are essential for our children. We need to speak out before irreparable damage is done.

And what do you think are its biggest challenges?

Our aspirations are great – and worthy of both this Orchestra and of the city of Atlanta. We need to ensure that our resources are sufficient to fulfill those aspirations.

The construction of a new concert hall has been a longtime priority for the ASO. How do you feel that project fits into the short and long term plans for the Orchestra?

The physical space in which an orchestra plays is integral to that orchestra’s sound — and to the orchestra’s artistic development. Think of the concert hall like one would think of speakers in a car or home — or like choosing the right earphones for one’s iPod. It makes an incredible difference in the way we hear and experience the music. A new hall is certainly a part of our plan for the future.

What do you like to do when you have some precious free time?

I’m an avid runner — and I like marathons. A marathon is a perfect test of both physical endurance and mental discipline. I’m a voracious reader, with tastes that lean towards biography and history. And I’m doing my best to complete a decade-long effort to finish a book on the life and music of my favorite little-known composer from the Italian Renaissance, Orazio Vecchi.

What are some of your favorite musical works, both classical and non-classical?

Not in any particular order:
Philip Glass – “Knee Play”
Black Eyed Peas – “Boom Boom Pow”
Simon and Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
Anything recorded by the Mills Brothers
Lady Gaga’s current hit
Bach – “Mass in B Minor”
Beethoven – last movement of Symphony No. 5
Beethoven – “Missa Solemnis” (The first piece I sang with the late Robert Shaw.)