St. Louis Symphony Orchestra names Paul Pietrowski Chief Operating Officer
(April 5, 2023, St. Louis, MO) – Today, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard announced the appointment of Paul Pietrowski as the institution’s Chief Operating Officer, beginning April 10.
Marie-Hélène Bernard, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra President and CEO, said, “Paul brings exceptional leadership and impressive experience in artistic planning, orchestra management and concert production. His deep understanding of our industry combined with his prior career as music educator makes him an ideal partner to me and our team to advance the mission of the SLSO. Paul was our search committee’s unanimous choice, and we know he will forge a strong partnership with our musicians as we embark on a new phase of our history with the renovation and expansion of Powell Hall.”
Paul Pietrowski, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Chief Operating Officer, said, “I am so excited to join the SLSO. I am impressed with the orchestra’s remarkable artistic talent, innovative programming, unique creative collaborations, and strong community engagement. I look forward to partnering with Marie-Hélène, Music Director Stéphane Denève, the musicians, and the SLSO team to create extraordinary concert experiences and continue making music accessible for the St. Louis community.”
As COO, Pietrowski will oversee the entire artistic and orchestra operations portfolio, leading an artistic and orchestra operations department of 20 members and working closely with Music Director Stéphane Denève, CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard, the orchestra, the conducting team, and two choruses to develop and support the SLSO’s long-term strategies and advance the mission of the SLSO. He succeeds Erik Finley, who served as SLSO Vice President and General Manager from 2017 through January 2023.
Pietrowski joins the SLSO after six years with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra where he managed the orchestra, production, and operations departments, as well as oversaw labor relations, touring, and concert production. Prior to that, he was the Personnel Manager and Operations Manager for the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, as well as a music educator in both Virginia and North Carolina. Pietrowski holds a Bachelor of Music degree from James Madison University, a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and is a Certified Labor Relations Leader from Michigan State University. Pietrowski will be moving to St. Louis with his family.
Pietrowski begins his tenure with the SLSO during a time of institutional momentum on all fronts. Artistically, the SLSO and Music Director Stéphane Denève collaborate with renowned guest artists from around the world—including pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, who joined the SLSO on its recent European tour—and acclaimed composers, championing their music of today through commissions, world premieres, composer workshops, and its Live at the Pulitzer series. This season, the SLSO has issued more than 144,000 tickets, an increase of 20 percent over last year. Last year, the SLSO connected with more than 174,000 people at 100+ performances, plus served 250,000 students and 1,600 teachers through in-person and digital music education offerings. The institution reported $8.165 million in philanthropic giving in FY22, up from $7.758 million in FY21. Over the past 10 years, the number of households engaged with the SLSO has tripled from 25,000 to more than 75,000 each season.
The SLSO recently announced its 2023/2024 Season, with primary residencies at Stifel Theatre and the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, while its historic home, Powell Hall, undergoes an expansion and renovation project.