Fred Bronstein

Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra President and Executive Director

Fred Bronstein assumed the role of president and executive director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra in March 2008.  Faced upon his arrival with a 22% decline over four years in core classical series attendance and a 16% decline in repeatable annual contributed revenues over a three-year period, resulting in repeated annual structural deficits in the range of $3.5 million, Bronstein took immediate action to launch development of an aggressive new revenue plan with audience development at the core of its actions.  Launched in June 2008, Building Our Business: New Audiences, New Friends takes a proactive, two-pronged approach: build audiences and re-invigorate the SLSO brand making the SLSO and Powell Hall the place to be; and build the donor base for enhanced institutional commitment and donations.  This is part of a larger strategic planning process led by Bronstein over the last year that has resulted in a new core ideology and a 10-year strategic vision focusing on artistic and institutional excellence, doubling the existing audience, and revenue growth across all key operating areas.  To meet audience development objectives, Bronstein has taken steps to broaden and diversify the SLSO programming to include the highly successful launch of the Casual Classics series that has garnered significant new revenues and new attendees.  Other new initiatives include the launch in 2008-09 of SLSO Presents, an umbrella for popularly-oriented programming that has resulted in 21,000 seats sold over 11 concerts with more than 50% of attendees new to the SLSO.  In addition, the Wells Fargo Advisors Orchestral Series in the 2008-09 Season had a 4.2% increase in average per-concert attendance, and the series has been restructured for the 2009-10 Season to achieve a balance of accessible and innovative programs, as well as a multi-week festival component. 

Because of new programming and new marketing strategies instituted by Bronstein, total ticket revenues increased 15% in the 2008-09 Season, while both total attendance and per-concert average attendance increased 7.8%.  In the fundraising area, actions have been taken to revamp the annual fund with a growth-oriented approach that has already reversed a three-year downward trend with two consecutive years of growth.  Since his arrival, the SLSO has seen an 8.6% increase in repeatable annual giving over two years, an anomaly in today’s economic environment, with a 9.5% increase in total contributed operating revenues (non-endowment) in FY2009 alone.  And because of substantial progress in the development of operating revenues, both earned and contributed, the structural deficit has declined 13% - $437,000 over two years (FY08 and FY09.)  However, recognizing that developing robust new revenues takes time, Bronstein launched the Building Our Business Campaign in June 2008 to raise additional operating funds for key initiatives like audience development and to ensure deficits do not accumulate in future years.  The first result of that campaign came in an announcement made in September 2008 of a $5 million anonymous donation to support operating needs and new audience development initiatives of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.  This along with other major gifts received ensure that declining structural deficits are now fully funded through 2013.  Finally, in June 2009 the SLSO announced a new three-year Collective Bargaining Agreement with its musicians reached under Bronstein’s leadership more than one year in advance of the current agreement, a significant departure from past negotiations.  The agreement provides long-term labor stability through 2013, moves the orchestra forward in a fiscally responsible manner; adds a 43rd week to the season providing opportunities for more performances thus enhancing audience development efforts; and adds new flexibility in executing local media projects to help build the SLSO brand.

Prior to the SLSO, Bronstein served as president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from July 2002 through February 2008.   Bronstein arrived at the Dallas Symphony during a time of economic challenge and took immediate action to ensure fiscal stability, artistic enhancements and long-term prosperity for the orchestra.  By implementing expense reductions and disciplining recurring operating expenses to a 10% increase over five years, and through a series of new fund raising initiatives, Bronstein led the DSO to four consecutive years of balanced budgets, from 2004 to 2007.  During his more than 5-year tenure, the Dallas Symphony’s annual fund raising for operations increased 30% to its highest level ever and its endowment grew more than 70% to $120 million at the time of his departure.  Bronstein oversaw initiation of theme-based programming including a series of successful festivals and specials.  Successes in audience development led to the highest level of attendance in years during the final year of his tenure.  Also during Bronstein’s tenure, a recording relationship with Hyperion Records was inaugurated as well as a partnership secured with Performance Today for national broadcasts of Dallas Symphony Orchestra performances.  Under Bronstein’s leadership, the Dallas Symphony initiated a series of bold new community collaborations with important Dallas cultural organizations including Symphonic Sundays at the Nasher.  The Dallas Symphony’s strong commitment to community engagement and diversity as well as the growing world-wide prestige of the DSO under Bronstein’s leadership was recognized in 2006 when the Dallas Symphony received the first-ever Celebration of Diversity award and The Greater Dallas Chamber’s prestigious International Business Achievement Award.  Bronstein’s tenure also included negotiation and signing of a five-year collective bargaining agreement with the Dallas Symphony musicians through August 2009, and extending the use agreement for the Meyerson Symphony Center through 2019.  Bronstein led the planning of a ten-year strategic vision, A Bold Plan for Greatness, to move the Dallas Symphony to the highest tier of American orchestras as well as the process that selected Jaap van Zweden as the music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Bronstein was president and CEO of the Omaha Symphony from November 1998 to May 2002.  From 1996 to 1998, he served as Executive Director of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.  Prior to that, Bronstein was a Management Fellow with the formerly named American Symphony Orchestra League.  Bronstein received a bachelor of music from Boston University, master of music from the Manhattan School of Music and a doctor of musical arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.  He subsequently co-founded and performed as pianist in Aequalis, a nationally touring chamber ensemble. 

Bronstein has served on numerous panels including those of the National Endowment for the Arts and League of American Orchestras.   Bronstein is very active in the orchestra industry and the League where he served on the Collaborative Data Project Task Force, the Public Perception Advisory Council, and has chaired the Selection Committee for the League’s Orchestra Management Fellowship Program.  In 2004, Bronstein was one of a select group of national arts executives invited to write for Aspatore Books’ publication of The Performing Arts Business, resulting in Bronstein’s chapter entitled An American Orchestra and he has been a contributor to Aspatore’s ExecBlueprints online articles.  In 2005, Bronstein was named recipient of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to the Field, and was subsequently elected to the Board of Overseers of Boston University in 2006.  In February 2009, Bronstein was named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the Most Influential St. Louisans.