New York City Ballet announced today that it has appointed Katherine Brown Executive Director, a position created to oversee the administrative management of the Company. Ms. Brown was selected for the position by NYCB’s Board of Directors, at the recommendation of Peter Martins, NYCB’s Ballet Master in Chief.
Ms. Brown, currently Chief Operating Officer of WNYC Radio, previously worked at NYCB from 1988 to 1993 as a development executive. In her new role with the Company, Ms. Brown will be responsible for all non-artistic matters at NYCB, including fundraising, finance, marketing, media and education. This will permit Mr. Martins to devote all of his energies to the artistic side of the organization. She will assume her new position on December 14 and will report to the Board of Directors.
“I am delighted that Kathy is returning to New York City Ballet,” said Mr. Martins. “Given the complexities of managing an arts organization in today’s economic climate, having an experienced leader managing all administrative and fiscal matters and reporting directly to the Board will strengthen our organization and contribute to its success.
“I worked with Kathy when she was here years ago, and always hoped that one day she would return,” Mr. Martins continued. “I believe she is the perfect person to manage the business side of the Company.”
John L. Vogelstein, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said, “We are delighted to add Kathy’s management expertise and entrepreneurial energy to Peter Martins’ unparalleled artistic direction and drive. This powerful combination will allow New York City Ballet to continue to deliver the most exciting dance experience in the world. Peter’s unrivaled leadership will ensure the Company’s artistic excellence, while Katherine’s abundant talents will increase its operational and financial strength.”
“I am excited to be returning to New York City Ballet and honored to have been chosen by Peter and the Board to join in the mission of keeping this extraordinary Company at the pinnacle of artistic excellence,” said Ms. Brown.
Ms. Brown comes to NYCB with many years of experience managing arts and nonprofit organizations. As COO of WNYC Radio, she oversees fundraising, finance, public relations and marketing, digital content and administrative functions. She helped the public broadcaster develop and launch its new Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, as well as manage its recent acquisition of the classical music station WQXR. Earlier, she spent more than a decade at Jazz at Lincoln Center and was instrumental in building it into a premier institution. As Executive Director of that organization, she oversaw all operations, including an annual budget of $38 million and a staff of several hundred. Previously, she was an executive with the dance program of the National Endowment for the Arts, managed the Major Gifts Program at the New York Public Library and was Director of Individual Support at New York City Ballet.
Kenneth Tabachnick, General Manager of NYCB for the past five years, will continue in that role until Ms. Brown assumes her post, and then will become a consultant to the Company. Mr. Martins thanked Mr. Tabachnick for his many contributions to the organization. He noted that Mr. Tabachnick largely led the renovation of the David H. Koch Theater, which the New York City Ballet managed entirely, and was instrumental in negotiating a new long-term agreement with the George Balanchine Trust for use of the Balanchine Repertory.
New York City Ballet is one of the world’s foremost cultural organizations, with an unparalleled repertory of works, most of which were created for the Company by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins and numerous other choreographers. Founded in 1948 by Balanchine and legendary arts patron Lincoln Kirstein, New York City Ballet has been instrumental in creating an American tradition of ballet. First making its home at New York’s City Center, in 1964 NYCB became one of the founding constituents of Lincoln Center, where the New York State Theater, now the David H. Koch Theater, was built specifically for Balanchine and the Company. Now under the direction of Mr. Martins, NYCB gives more performances each year than any dance company in the world, including an annual 23-week New York season, as well as engagements throughout the United States and around the world. The Company is home to more than 90 dancers, 62 orchestra members, and more than 100 administrative and artistic staff members. The Company’s affiliates include an official school, the School of American Ballet, founded by Balanchine and Kirstein in 1934, as well as the New York Choreographic Institute, founded by Mr. Martins and arts patron Irene Diamond in 2000. Widely acknowledged for its enduring contributions to dance, NYCB is committed to promoting creative excellence and nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers.
